Auto Revolt
by GamerDragon13
Summary: Modern AU/GTAV Rewrite featuring MtG characters. Written for NaNoWriMo. Please read and review. Rated for adult content. What started as any other day turns life upside down for Chandra Nalaar when she steals a car from Sorin Markov, then Sorin's estranged wife comes back into the picture and Jace Beleren returns to his old ways. It's all out chaos for the city of Ravnica.
1. Prologue

It was supposed to be an easy job.

S, N, and U had done plenty of jobs like this one in the past, and this one was no different. Small bank in a dead-end town with low security that had enough money to set them up for a long time? The trio was so there! Hanweir Bank would be the easiest score of their criminal careers!

So, they donned their ski masks and leather gloves, armed themselves to the tooth, and got ready. S found the driver. Someone new and fresh. N and U could tell the guy was inexperienced, but S liked testing new blood. It had to do with his mafia upbringing. According to S, he was positive they didn't need their favorite hacker. Just a few call-in explosives. U, the oldest of the trio, was uncertain about this. It was winter, the roads were awful, and the hacker would buy them precious time that the exterior conditions would not allow.

"Bigger cuts for each of us," S pointed out, knowing J would asking for her usually large cut.

U begrudgingly agreed. N was simply excited. She jumped into S's arms, legs around his waist.

"So, we retiring after this or something?" she asked, looking into S's eyes.

"That and maybe move somewhere warmer too," S answered with a chuckle, holding his beautiful wife close and kissing her.

N broke the kiss. "I don't know if I wanna retire though; our lives are so exhilarating," she pointed out, biting her lower lip with a smile.

S frowned. "Think about the girls."

N nodded. "Okay. Our fav hacker watching them today?" she asked.

"No. She's planning something with K," S answered. "I think they're finally tired of T's shit and they're gonna do something about it." He set his wife down.

"Good. T's is a child-molesting sack of shit," N stated, leaning against S. It wasn't a lie. T had abducted his own niece and nephew and raised and trained them to be criminals, all the while sexually abusing his niece.

"Agreed," U huffed.

S nodded. "Now, we should get to work," he pointed out. "That bank's not going to rob itself." He stood, N sliding away from him.

That had been this morning before dawn, before went to they entered the bank with guns blazing. They had scared the civilians, tellers, and the lone security guard. N grabbed a woman and held a gun to her head to make the security guard stay his hand. "Drop your weapon!" N shouted, and the guard obeyed. U went in and bound his hands and feet before hauling him to the utility closet. He and S did the same to the others before N bound her hostage. Once everyone was out of the way, S went to plant a call-in charge on the door to the treasury.

He came out, pulling his disposable cellphone. "Okay; we all done?" He asked. N and U were emptying the registers up front.

"Yeah; make the call," N answered, shoving the last of the cash in her white duffle bag.

S called the charge, detonating it and blasting open the vault. The trio bolted in and started loading their bags. S moved fast, loading up as much as he could as fast as he could. He saw N going for the safety deposit boxes. They couldn't afford to waste time on those!

"N, no! Leave them," he barked.

"Come on love, imagine what people keep in these," N giggled, shooting a lock and pulling the box out. "Oooh, some gold jewelry!" She dumped the contents into her bag. She was being greedy, caught up in the thrill. She was about to go for another when U stopped her.

"He said don't," he pointed out, grabbing N's wrist. "We have enough to last us years. Don't waste your life on things people _can't_ replace."

They exchanged a serious look, and S saw the flash of…something else there. He ignored it and finished loading up his bag.

"Okay, let's go!" he shouted. He ran out of the vault, only to be grabbed by an unexpected security guard. _Damn it! There was supposed to be one!_ The guard held a gun to his head and pulled off his ski mask. N and U ran out, guns in their hands.

"I see your face! I'll remember!" the guard shouted, excited. He was young. Mid-twenties.

S rolled his eyes. "And you best forget real quick that you saw us," he warned.

"Fat cha-."

 _BAM!_

The guard fell to the ground, dead with a bullet in his head. S cursed violently and gave N a small shove. "What the Hell is wrong with you?!" he demanded.

"I'm thinking I was saving my husband!" N snapped. This life has changed her. She wasn't the sweet girl who only did this to survive anymore.

 _At what point did we switch personalities?_ S wondered. Oh, he had no delusions of innocence or kindness. He was as cold-blooded as N had become, save for only a few people in his life. But as he once did this for the thrills, the excitement, and the great sex afterward, he was now in it for survival.

"Come on you two," U told them, and started down a corridor.

N gave S a glare of disapproval for him berating her before following U. S took a deep breath and followed them. They entered a store room that connected to the loading dock and blasted the door open. S opened the garage door. Then came the sirens.

"Fuck!" N hissed. "Who told?!"

"No such thing as a perfect heist, dear," S growled, suddenly fed up with his wife's crap.

"Take cover," U ordered, getting behind a beam.

S took the other beam and N hid behind a truck. They entered a firefight with the arriving cops. N removed her mask in annoyance. It was itching her face. Fuck, did she hate the state of Innistrad sometimes. It was cold, winters were long, and to Hell with snow! She longed for her tropical home country of Zendikar. She had spent her childhood there, until her family became citizens of Dominia and they moved to the state of Innistrad. They left behind the rain forests of Bala Ged, the beautiful coasts of Tazeem, and the red mountains of Akoum. Home.

But instead, N was forced to live in this frustratingly cold realm. Perhaps she could convince S to move them somewhere nicer, warmer? And preferably somewhere away from his evil, mafia grandfather. She was certain if they didn't leave Innistrad soon, S's grandfather would come for her blood.

They shot their way to the road where their driver waited with their car. S had been smart to make the driver and his car wait a distance from the bank, but they heard sirens fast approaching. S cursed under his breath and ran around to the passenger's side, calling shotgun. U opened the backseat door on the driver's side and slid in and over to the passenger's side. N got in after him.

"Drive!" she ordered.

The driver nodded and did so, slamming the gas.

The police drove up alongside the car and N rolled down her window, taking out her gun. She fired at the cops. They fired back, until one bullet got the driver in the head. S cursed loudly, again, and shoved the body out the car. He took the steering wheel and slammed the car into the cop car, running them off-road and into a tree. N and U cheered, until U grunted in pain.

"U? What's wrong?!" N exclaimed.

U's arm was bleeding. He'd been shot.

"He okay?" S asked, keeping his eyes on the snow-covered road and both hands on the wheel.

"I'll be fine," U answered with a groan. N looked worried. U was her friend.

They passed a cop car, and S tensed. The police car didn't stop or turn around though. He relaxed, but only a little. This job was getting harder. He didn't expect this much trouble. He saw a blockade ahead. _There wasn't supposed to be one!_ He heard the blare of a train whistle and sharply turned right onto the bridge before they could hit the blockade. N and U saw the train and then saw S speed up.

"Can we beat the train?" she asked, and then saw the police following.

"I'll make sure of it," S answered with a growl. They smashed through the bar and the train just tapped the back bumper. But when something that heavy going any speed hits you, you go spinning and straight into a tree. S hit his head while N and U slammed into the front seats. None of them were wearing their seatbelts. _Why must we always be so stupid?_ S asked himself.

"Ouch…" N groaned, wincing. She rubbed her forehead, which throbbed.

"And that's why we wear fucking seatbelts," S grumbled. Blood trickled down his forehead. "Great, I think I have a concussion…"

U groaned. It was weak and pained.

"U?!" N gasped.

"I think something's broken…" he muttered, holding his arm to his ribcage.

S grabbed his and U's bags and got out to help him. N grabbed hers and did the same. They started making their way down a street. U was stumbling between them, injured.

"Where's the second car?" N asked S, looking to him with worried eyes.

"Shit!" S cursed. "It's been moved!"

"I see a-. Shit! Dick!" N exclaimed, trying to pull U down.

If only she hadn't…

A bullet went into U's chest as they went down into the brown and grey snow.

"U!" N screamed, going to her friend. "Fuck! Don't die on me!"

"N, we have to-!" S didn't finish his sentence as a bullet caught him in the side and he fell. "N, run!"

N looked to see a sniper and ducked behind cover. She pulled out a gun. "Fuck my life…" She looked to her husband. "I'm not leaving you honey!" She took a deep breath, and jumped out, shooting like a madwoman as police arrived. She ducked behind cover and looked to S and U. Neither were moving. Tears welled up and she jumped up and fired again. They were closing in. They were going to kill her. There was no interest in her capture. They came closer still. She looked to U. Her friend…S wasn't moving when she looked at him. A tear rolled down her cheek. She turned and ran. There was nothing for her here anymore…


	2. Chapter 1: A Day in Chandra's Life

Sorin Markov was just 5'10" and quite fit, though he was a rather pale man who clearly didn't get enough sun. Or iron. Or both. He got sunburnt rather easily. His hair was white with some darker, greyer strands here and there and he had eyes like lava: Orange with tinges of yellow and red; and they were smoldering. He wore a white, button-up shirt, black slacks, black dress shoes, and a black leather jacket. He was quite handsome for his 47 years. Now if only he didn't have anemia so he could get a decent tan!

He was in a simple office: White walls and ceiling, dark blue carpet, dark hardwood furniture. He laid on a lounger that was blue, an Vrynnese man seated in a chair by him. He had a clipboard with some papers and a pen. Alhammeret was a therapist, there to listen to Sorin bitch and moan for $150 an hour.

"You at least love your daughters, correct?" Alhammeret asked, a slight rolling off his tongue.

"Of course I do," Sorin answered. "I just wish my oldest would stop acting out the way she does. She's going to wind up hurt! I know the kind of people she's hanging out with! They're thugs! I didn't raise her to end up like her mother!"

Alhammeret wrote that outburst down. "Do you believe Avacyn's outbursts are because she lost her mother?"

Sorin sighed. "I guess. I loved Nahiri. But then she changed. I mean really changed. We knew each other for five years before we got married. It wasn't some overnight change. It was a gradual change. She went from crimes to survive to 'Fuck it! Let's see what happens!' It was getting so bad I was scared for our daughters!" He groaned, turning onto his side away from Alhammeret. "I couldn't do it anymore. I never meant for any of it to go wrong. I did what I had to. It was only a matter of time before one of us died or the girls were taken away." He looked up at the clock and sat up. "Session over?" he asked.

Alhammeret looked down at his watch. "I'm afraid so," he answered. "I'll see you next week?"

"Sure…not sure if this therapy thing is working though," Sorin grumbled, getting up. The two shook hands.

"It's because you're holding back, but today we actually made a breakthrough," Alhammeret answered. "Remember: I have a confidentiality agreement. I'm bound to hold my word against the police. Besides: Ten years. Stature of limitations and the fact you lived in another state."

"Yeah, I guess…See you next week." Sorin left the building, going down to the beach beside it. Alhammeret lived and worked in a nice area, along a row of bright, colorful houses at the end of the beach. He saw people going about their lives, people jogging while listening to music on their smart phones, others sunbathing. Sorin simply sat on a bench and looked out over the beach and the ocean. The city of Ravnica was massive and full of people. It was nothing like his home back in Innistrad where all the towns and cities were small and it was under seventy degrees year-round. You couldn't go swimming there! Here was different.

"We should just ask for directions!" exclaimed a female, accented voice. A Kaladeshi.

"Ugh, shut up Saheeli," groaned another. This voice had the traces of an accent, but it was almost completely gone. Chandra Nalaar was five feet and six inches with light, bronze skin, an hourglass figure, amber eyes, and short, dry hair the color of fire with natural blond and auburn highlights. She dressed in a white tank top, dark, distressed denim shorts; red and white sneakers, a red leather jacket, and steampunk-styled brass goggles with red lenses.

"Let's just ask someone if they know which house it is," her fried Saheeli Rai suggested. "Much easier then bumbling around." She looked more Kaladeshi than Chandra, her skin a few shades darker but more perfect and not sunburned; silky black hair that she wore in a messy bun, and dark brown eyes that she could use to charm anyone she wanted. She wore a simple red Kurta with gold trimming, indigo trousers, and a pair of simple sandals.

Chandra had asked why she was wearing a Kurta and sandals.

"If you can do a dirty, violent, or generally unpleasant job without hurting your feet or ruining lovely clothes, you can do anything," Saheeli had answered.

"I'll remember that when you hurt yourself," Chandra had responded.

Saheeli walked up a man sitting on a bench and asked, "Do you know where Tibalt Capulet lives?"

Chandra slapped her hand to her forehead, groaning.

"Uh, yeah, it's the house with red and black stairs," the man answered, pointing to said house.

"Thanks," Saheeli responded.

"Anytime."

The two women walked away, and Saheeli smiled to Chandra. "See?"

"Yeah, and he saw two women asking about a guy whose about to get his cars jacked," Chandra grumbled.

"But we have paperwork to prove that the owner is behind on payments," Saheeli pointed out, opening a bright red gate.

"I guess, but we look shady," Chandra stated.

"Two beautiful women like us? You call that shady? We're Kaladeshi dear! No one ever suspects a Kaladeshi." Saheeli smiled, leading the way to the front where there two gorgeous cars: One in red and the other in black. "Oh! These cars are nice!"

"Dibs on red," Chandra announced.

"Naturally," Saheeli giggled, getting into the black car. They put down the hoods and rolled down the windows. "Oooooh, so nice!" she cheered. "I love cars like these!" She pulled the pins from her hair and fluffed it up.

"Same," Chandra agreed, pulling her goggles down over her eyes. "Wanna see what these cars can do?"

"Uh, yeah!" Saheeli answered, revving her car. She sped off, and Chandra followed happily. Saheeli put her on speaker phone. "Now this is what I'm talking about!"

"Just remember we need to bring these cars back in good condition," Chandra laughed, dodging a truck.

"I know; it's you I'm worried about," Saheeli responded.

"Hey!"

"It's true dear."

They raced down the busy streets of Ravnica, wind in their hair and excitement plastered on their faces. They dodged cars and trucks, driving out behind a parking garage. Saheeli won their little race and smiled to Chandra. The redhead smiled back.

"Looks like I win," Saheeli giggled, looking to her friend. "Seriously, why do you try racing me?"

They laughed until the sound of sirens reached them. Chandra cursed loudly. "We have the paperwork," she reminded Saheeli.

"You want to take that risk?" Saheeli asked. "I don't."

Chandra rolled her eyes and the two raced out of the parking lot. They split up and looked for decent hiding spots in the city. They laid low in alleys before taking the cars to the dealer. They parked in back parking lot where all "employees" parked and went into the dealership.

"That was insane," Saheeli said to Chandra, giggling as they headed inside to report their success. Inside their boss, Nicol Bolas, or Nicol Bowler Hat as the girls called him behind his back, was talking to a young woman about a nice car.

"But is it family friendly and kid safe?" asked the young woman. "I have to drive my sister to school." She had long, snow-white hair she wore in a ponytail, round, pale silver eyes; and pale skin. She had painted her lips, upper eyelids, and nails black, matching the black, off-shoulder dress that fell to her knees; black boots, black fishnet stockings, fingerless, black lace gloves; and a black choker with a silver cross dangling from it. She looked irritated. She must have been here a while.

"Perfectly family and child friendly," Bolas assured.

"Hey, we're back from the errand," Chandra reported, getting Bolas's attention.

"Ah! Excellent!" Bolas responded. "Ladies, would you agree this car is family and child friendly?" he asked.

"I don't know shit about cars," Chandra answered.

"I don't know…" Saheeli muttered, approaching the car in question. "Fancy cars like these are more for making a good impression and I have a mistrust of these 'smart' cars. Let's have a quick look under the hood." She got in and popped open the hood. Bolas rolled his eyes as Saheeli showed the woman the insides. Chandra groaned and sat down. "...looks like an excellent choice when it comes to safety, but I'd personally try to figure out how to put a firewall in the car to avoid the smart tech from being hacked and forcing the car to be shut down."

The young woman nodded. "Thank you. I'll buy it."

"Smart choice!" Bolas cheered, ready to sell the car. "And Miss Rai, that'll be all for today. You can go."

"Okay…" Saheeli huffed, and left. She got into the passenger's seat of Chandra's bright red car, the redhead slipping into the driver's seat.

"Did you really have to go on and on?" Chandra asked, pulling out and getting onto the street. "Seriously, just go to school to be a mechanic."

"I don't know. College is so expensive," Saheeli muttered. "I mean, I'm saving up, but Bowler Hat doesn't want to pay us a real livable wage!"

"No one does in this backass country," Chandra pointed out. "And there's hardly a thing minimum wage workers can do to get out of it because most of their money goes toward paying bills and making sure everything else is taken care of first."

Saheeli nodded. "So, how's your boyfriend doing?" she asked.

"Well, today he's supposed to find out if the surgery will be approved," Chandra answered. "If his hormone count is too high though…"

"Oh, my god! They'll deny him for _that_?!" Saheeli exclaimed.

"I swear it's because he was born a woman," Chandra grumbled. "He's worked even harder to become male since the baby." She felt guilty. She had told Jace that she had not had any genital work done yet because it admittedly freaked her out. She wore a condom. Which broke. And that resulted in her boyfriend get fucked over. Neither of them regretted their son Vesper. He was the light of their life, a little ball of energy. Finally, Chandra pulled into her driveway. "You wanna come in?" she asked Saheeli.

"Sure."

They got out of the car and went inside. Jace's dog, a large, beautiful, silvery Husky named Luna, came running over, yipping happily. Chandra bent down and ruffled the dog's neck. Saheeli grabbed a treat from the jar by the door, drawing Luna's attention. The dog sat obediently, waiting for the treat. It was place on her nose and she waited for the command. When Saheeli gave the okay, Luna tipped off the treat and munched on it. Then they heard the phone ring and a feminine male voice answer with a "Hello?"

Chandra and Saheeli paused and listened.

"Denied again?" the voice cried in dismay. "Emmara, I've been doing everything right!" A pause. "Okay. Thanks for trying…"

Chandra sighed, and entered the living room. She saw her fiancé. Like her, Jace Beleren was transgendered, but female to male. He didn't have the same support system growing up like Chandra had. He had an abusive uncle. Sure, he had a cousin that supported him, but their uncle had been so controlling. Chandra went and hugged Jace. He was four inches taller than her own five feet and six inches. Jace hugged back.

"You'll get it; don't worry," she assured him.

"Haven't I waited long enough?" Jace asked, depressed.

"I'm sorry for screwing you over," Chandra responded. Their baby had been the biggest thing.

"You warned me and wore a condom," Jace pointed out. "Not your fault it broke. That happens." He saw Saheeli. "Hey Saheeli. Do you want anything? I was about to put the kettle on."

"Yes, please and thank you," Saheeli answered. "Do you have any Darjeeling?" she questioned.

Jace smiled and nodded. "What about you Chandra?" he asked.

"Assam," Chandra replied.

Jace then went into the kitchen, and four-year-old Vesper Beleren came tottering in. "Mama!" he cheered. Chandra picked him up.

"Hey Kiddo!"

"Lookie what I made!" Vesper said, the adorable little boy holding up a little picture frame made of puzzle pieces.

"Aw, sweet!" Chandra cheered.

"Daddy said we can put any picture in it and hang it on the Yule tree this year!" Vesper stated.

"I like that," Chandra agreed.

"Hi Sahlee," Vesper greeted to Saheeli. He had trouble pronouncing her name.

"Hello cutie," Saheeli responded, coming over. "And how are you today?" she questioned.

"Good," Vesper answered. "But Daddy seems sad."

"I know kiddo," Chandra sighed. "He was just denied an important surgery so he's sad about it."

"What surgy?" Vesper asked.

"A hysterectomy," Chandra answered.

"Are you sure you should be telling him about this?" Saheeli asked, feeling uncertain.

"Why not? He can't even pronounce your name right yet," Chandra answered. She turned back to Vesper and set him in his playpen. "See kiddo, Daddy and me different. I'm not like Saheeli and Daddy isn't like you. We were born as the wrong genders. I was born a boy like you and Daddy was born a girl like Saheeli."

"Why did you change?" Vesper asked.

"We were uncomfortable as we were," Chandra answered. "I have to get similar work done, but…I'm scared. It freaks me out. So much can go wrong."

Vesper nodded, not fully understanding. But even a little understanding was just fine.

* * *

Chandra went to the convenient store after dinner, across the street when she bumped into Jace's cousin Kallist Rhoka. Jace and Kallist could easily be mistaken for brothers, even twins, though Kallist was two inches taller, more tan, had a lean, muscular body; and his hair and eyes were a few shades lighter than Jace's off-black hair and ocean blue eyes. Kallist was attractive and yummy, and very supportive of Jace and Chandra.

"Hey Kal," Chandra greeted. "You didn't tell us you were going to be in town."

"Hey Phoenix," Kallist responded, using Chandra's alias. Oh, it was one of _those_ times.

"Sorry Phantasm," Chandra apologized. "Need help?"

Kallist handed her a bag, gun, gloves, and ski mask. She put the mask and gloves on, slung the bag over her shoulder, checked her weapon, and followed Kallist inside. The store was empty, save for one cashier. Kallist went up to him and aimed the gun at him.

"Money; now!" he shouted. The cashier obeyed.

Chandra went around stealing snacks, drinks, and a case of alcohol. Kallist was still shouting and barking orders. The second register was open and the money was going into Kallist's bag. Finally, he knocked the cashier out and sealed the bag. Chandra grabbed a few more Reese's for Vesper and followed him. They ran around behind the store and hopped on Kallist's car before driving away. Kallist and Chandra remained calm, making it to a parking garage and switching vehicles. They put the gloves, masks, and guns under the backseat. Chandra grabbed a candy bar and ate it.

"So, how have you been?" she asked.

"Good; you?" Kallist responded.

"I'm fine…Jace didn't get it," Chandra reported.

Kallist sighed. "Someday…"

Chandra nodded.

"So, when's your mom getting out?" Kallist asked.

"A few months," Chandra answered. "They're letting her out early for good behavior."

"That's great!"

"Yep; and it'll be just in time for me to start picking out a gown."

"Nervous about the wedding?"

"Well, yeah."

They pulled into Jace's driveway and went inside. Jace was watching some crime solving show. He looked to them, and then realized why Chandra had been gone so long. He wasn't entirely mad, so he got up and hugged Kallist. They were close, having grown up together under the same abusive adopted father figure, protecting each other as much they could.

"We picked up wine," Kallist pointed out, grinning.

"Of course you did," Jace sighed. "Well, Vesper's asleep, so, let's just sit down and chat for a while over wine. What kind did you get?" he asked, leading the way to the kitchen.

"That white wine you like so much," Kallist answered. "Seriously, you love that fruity stuff too much." He grabbed a bottle opener and started working out the cork.

"Well, I like it," Chandra defended, going to the fridge. She grabbed some cheeses

Jace grabbed three wine glasses and a knife. "I don't really care for the dry stuff, spirits, or the stuff with yeast in it," he pointed out. "You know that."

"The only use we have for beer around here is cooking," Chandra laughed. "I'll drink some beer occasionally." She took a knife and started slicing the cheeses.

"What waste," Kallist grumbled, removing the cork with a loud _pop_. He tilted each glass as he poured the wine. "Guess it's not really my call. Hey Chandra, any of your friends-?"

"No," Chandra answered, cutting Kallist off before he could finish his sentence. "Saheeli still wants to slap you for that little stunt you pulled and the only friend I have left that you haven't dated is a lesbian." She put a slice of cheese in her mouth.

"Crap," Kallist grumbled, sipping the moscoto. "I just want a date. Someone hot." Jace passed him a cracker with brie and some jam. He shoved it in his mouth.

* * *

Chandra did some yoga out on the back porch, Vesper trying to mimic her from within his playpen. He only succeeded in rolling around and giggling and making his mommy smile and giggle. Jace was at work down at one of the public libraries in Ravnica. They were really into it when Saheeli came walking in.

"Guess what!" Saheeli greeted.

"Well, hello to you too," Chandra responded. "What's up?"

"Rashmi is back in town!" Saheeli answered. "We gotta go pick her up from the airport! And bring Nissa!"

"Saheeli, Jace has work today and I can't leave Vesper alone," Chandra pointed out.

"Then we'll bring him with," Saheeli stated. "You have the minivan."

"Okay, fine. I just need to change," Chandra groaned. They put stuff away and Chandra got into her favorite brown cargo pants, black, steel-toed boots; a silvery top, and a long, red vest. After getting Vesper into a cute outfit of a purple polo, blue overalls, and black shoes, they packed a baby bag and the stroller and got Vesper into his car seat.

They picked up Nissa Revane from her place. She lived with her parents in their apartment above their flower store, and on the roof was a greenhouse. Nissa was a beautiful young brunette with dazzling jade eyes who wore a green, knee-length dress and brown boots. She had a brown, fake leather purse with a dreamcatcher design on the flap, with feathers dangling from it on suede strings and turquoise beads woven into the web. It was actually a really neat purse that Chandra had gotten her for her sixteenth birthday.

Chandra pulled up to the curb and unlocked the doors. Nissa got in on Vesper's right and buckled herself in. "Hey," she greeted softly. She was a very soft-spoken young woman who would like have been happier back in her native Zendikar or at a lakeside town surrounded by towering trees with beautiful views of snow-capped mountains. Something natural.

"So, Rashmi is back in town," Saheeli pointed out.

"I can't wait to see her," Nissa responded. She and Rashmi were friends, but there really wasn't much else. Plus, Nissa knew Rashmi was asexual, and tended to focus more on her work as an inventor. Chandra smiled to her friends. Saheeli was also an inventor, creating life-like animals that worked and behaved like the animals she mimicked. This year, however, she decided to stay home from the Ghiraphur Inventor's Fair in the country of Kaladesh, let others have a bigger chance in the spotlight. Chandra just wished the spotlight shone on her parents.

Chandra wanted to be a girl since she was little. Her parents had been nothing but supportive of her, wanting her to be happy. Of course, they were met with threats, ridicule, and this one stupid fuck who seemed to get his kicks out of terrorizing the family. Things finally came to a head one day when said stupid fuck joked about having fun with Chandra, WHO WAS 11 AT THE TIME, and her father just snapped. He and the guy fought and Kiran Nalaar was stabbed in the heart. Chandra had watched in terror as her father was murdered right in front of her. The man ran off. Pia, Chandra's mother, found out who the man was: A crooked cop named Baral. Pia took revenge and spent the last 12 years in prison.

Chandra and her little brother Brannon had been raised by their grandmother, Luti Ballard. She was just as loving and supportive of Chandra becoming a girl as Kiran and Pia had been. Life was pretty okay, though hard without her parents there. What definitely helped was the support of great friends like Nissa, Saheeli, Rashmi, Gideon Beef-Cake Jura, Ral Egotistical Zarek, Ral's cross-dressing boyfriend/girlfriend Melek, and even the sweet high school librarian Tamiyo and her husband Genku. Pia could only support Chandra emotionally from prison. In her later teen years, she got Alhammeret as a therapist and met Jace through him. Then came Vesper, her little bundle of joy who called her Mommy and who Pia adored. Okay, so life didn't completely suck. It was just hard to get an honest job without resorting to stripping.

At the airport, they saw Rashmi waiting. She smiled and waved to them as Chandra pulled up to the curb. Saheeli hopped out and helped Rashmi load up the trunk. They got in the car, Rashmi sitting in the third row behind Vesper and Nissa. Saheeli pulled a CD out and popped it into the player.

"OH HELL NO!" Chandra chided.

"Oh, Hell yes!" Saheeli giggled, skipping to the song everyone wanted to hear: _Dancing Queen_.

Chandra groaned, hitting her head against the steering wheel. She started driving while everyone started singing along. Vesper just giggled and shook his rattle. Rashmi laughed from the very back, though sang. Nissa was a little more quiet about it. Saheeli was loud though.

"Friday night and the lights are loooowww!" Saheeli and Rashmi sang, waving their arms around like a couple of idiots. "Looking out for a place to goooooo!"

Chandra snickered.

"Where they play the right music, getting in the swing, you've come to look for a king," Saheeli continued, leaning close to Chandra, who rolled her eyes.

"Anybody could be that guy!" Rashmi burst, leaning over the second row. "Night is young and the music's-."

"HIGH!" she and Nissa sang.

"With a bit of rock music, everything is fine," Nissa sang quietly.

"You're in the mood for a dance," the three chimed.

"And when you get the chance-," Saheeli began.

Chandra rolled her eyes again and sang along with them. "YOU ARE THE DANCING QUEEN, YOUNG AND SWEET, ONLY SEVENTEEN!"

Even young Vesper was trying to keep up with the song. He resorted to babbling out the lyrics. It charmed the girls in the car, making them laugh and giggle stupidly as they sang horribly. It was a song that you just couldn't not sing along with.

"Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine," they continued, Chandra singing "OH YEAH" loudly. "You can dance! You can ja-iiive! Having the time of your life! Oooh! See that girl! Watch that scene! Dig in the Dancing Queen!" They were having so much fun with the song.

"You're a teaser; you turn 'em on!" Saheeli sang, hands together over her chest and swaying.

"Leave 'em burn and then you're gone!" Rashmi and Nissa chimed.

"Looking out for another; anyone will do," Chandra continued. "You're in the mood for a dance. And when you get the chance…"

"YOU ARE THE DANCING QUEEN, YOUNG AND SWEET, ONLY SEVENTEEN!" the four sang in union, windows open. "DANCING QUEEN; FEEL THE BEAT FROM THE TAMBOURINE, OH YEAH!"

"YOU CAN DANCE!" Rashmi sang.

"YOU CAN JIVE!" Nissa responded, now very into it.

"HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!" Chandra sang.

"Ooh, see that girl," Saheeli chimed.

"Watch that scene!" the others replied.

"DIG IN THE DANCING QUEEN!" they sang in union.


	3. Chapter 2: Theft Gone Wrong

What Chandra didn't know about today was that it was the one that changed her life.

It had been a few days since Rashmi came home from Kaladesh, and Chandra walked onto the lot of Bolas's car dealership just as he was scamming another poor sucker into buying a car. Typical bullshit. Saheeli was off getting another car for Bolas and the man wanted to see Chandra about a vehicle he sold a while ago to some daddy's girl. Just like him to scam some teenage girl who didn't know any better and claimed to be looking after her sister.

Bolas saw Chandra and walked up to her. He put on a little show for the potential buyer, hugging her and everything and giving her bullshit advice. They moved away from the buyer and he gave her some information on the repossession. "I need you to retrieve a white minivan from 181 W. 9th St. up in the 9th District," Bolas explained. "The property surrounded by a wall with iron spikes on top. The driveway gate can only be opened by the property owner, his two daughters, and staff. There is a smaller gate the staff regularly use though, so you might be able to use that to get on the property. Now, the car will likely be in the garage. The little teen daddy's girl said she planned to use it only to get her and her sister to school without inconveniencing her father. Blah! Teenagers!"

"So it's supposed to be an easy job?" Chandra asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Not too easy," Bolas answered. "The garage door opens with a clicker, so you'll have to go through the house."

 _Fuck me,_ Chandra thought irritably. "Alright, I'll get the job down," she assured Bolas. The older man pat her on the back and went back to his sale, shouting back at her to stay in school or something like that. She took a cab up to the destination, not wanting to take her car just to leave it in some strange neighborhood. She didn't go up to the 9th District very often, so she wasn't entirely used to the streets. Upon arrival, she paid the cab driver and got out and looked at the house through the iron gate. It was a beautiful house, very gothic in its appearance.

She went to the smaller gate and hopped it, seeing the gardener using a leaf blower to blow the recently mowed grass. He hadn't seen Chandra yet, so she snuck up and knocked him out with a swift blow to the head. She ran up to the front door, though she knew that was a rather pointless idea. It was locked anyway. She went around to the back to try the back doors. Locked. Again. She looked around and saw the gardener's truck sticking out under a shelter, one that she could climb onto and then use to climb into the room whose window was hanging wide open!

 _Perfect,_ Chandra thought. She climbed onto the truck and then jumped onto the shelter roof. Next, she peered into the room. A full bathroom, one that was empty. Chandra carefully climbed in and was about to leave through the open door when she heard a shout. "OH MY GOD!" Chandra froze like a deer in the headlights.

"Thalia, calm down!" came a response. A young woman, one Chandra recognized from the dealership, walked past the bathroom. There was a difference: The ends of her white hair were blood-red. A shorter girl, this one with light blond hair followed, wearing a white dress with black, fake leather boot; grey leggings, black boots, and a red infinity scarf. Her hair was in a simple ponytail and she had striking silver eyes with bits of blue.

"Dad is going to going to kill you!" the blond, Thalia, pointed out.

"No he isn't," responded the girl from the dealership.

They went out of sight, moving into the bedroom to Chandra's right. Chandra slipped around the corner and pressed herself to the wall. She peeked into the bedroom to make sure she wasn't spotted. If there was a mirror, it wasn't in view of the door, meaning she would be able to slip by undetected. The girls weren't even looking at the door and one was on the far side of the room, going through the dresser. Chandra crept to the stairs and moved down them. There was a maid cleaning the house, but like the girls upstairs, she was busy with other things. The garage door was next to the kitchen, and the white minivan was right inside, just as Bolas believed.

Naturally, Bolas had copies of the keys to every car on his lot and made sure his to give them to the repo employees before sending them out. So, Chandra unlocked the car, got in, and started the vehicle, and was met with a blast of metal. She turned it down. The car was remarkably clean and had one of those vent clips going, making the car smell like fresh, sun-dried linen with just a hint of lavender. It seemed that the young woman who bought the car took care of it. That would please Bolas. She looked up at the visor and clicked the button to open the garage. The gardener was still out cold on the lawn where Chandra downed him. She drove carefully to the gate and open that. She then pulled out her cellphone and dialed Bolas before pulling out onto the street.

"Do you have the car?" Bolas asked, not bothering to even to say hello.

"Yeah; I'm coming back with it now," Chandra answered. "The car's in good shape and clean."

"That's good to hear," Bolas responded. "Just hurry back with it and keep it that way. A quick paint job and I can have it back out on the lot by the end of the day." He hung up.

Chandra groaned, waiting until she hit a red light to turn off her phone and slipped it into her purse. Then she felt a gun pressed against the back of her head and froze.

"Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel," ordered a dark voice. "One wrong move and I'll shoot you."

"Okay!" Chandra squeaked. _Holy fucking shit! Fuck me, fuck me,_ _ **fuck me!**_ She thought in panic. "L-listen, I have a kid to feed!" She hoped that would make the man think twice before pulling the trigger.

"Then keep driving to your destination," the man ordered. "You have a green light."

Chandra nodded stiffly and applied pressure to the gas. She drove at the speed limit. "So, uh, what's up?" she asked.

"Tell me about the dealership," the man answered.

"Well, it's owned by Nicol Bolas," Chandra started.

"Of course; that scumbag," the man grumbled. Chandra looked up at the rearview mirror. Was that the guy from the beach who told her and Saheeli where the Tibalt guy's house was? "Get us there in one piece."

"Right," Chandra sighed, trying to stay calm. "I think I've seen you before."

"The guy who pointed you to Tibalt Capulet's house," the guy replied. "Yeah. I remember you. Let me guess: Bolas sells used and stolen cars for unfair prices then sends punks to repossess them, not caring if the punks die or not."

"Considering the job Saheeli and I got before the Tibalt job? Yeah, pretty much," Chandra responded. "Sociopathic fuck doesn't give a shit that I got a baby at home. I'm just doing this to pay bills and help my fiancé. I keep telling him not to give me dangerous shit. Looks like he never listens. Fuck, I hate his ass."

"Then quit," the man told her.

"Not that easy to find an honest job," Chandra pointed out. "And I don't want to resort to dancing like some women have been forced to. Especially with…" She fell silent. She almost told this man she was transgendered. Of course, if he decided to rape her, he may as well know. "I'm trans."

"So what?" the man asked. "Doesn't really bother me. My late wife was crazy, my oldest daughter is acting out, my best friend was a dragon-worshipping cultist, and I knew a girl who wanted to become a guy once. I wonder if he ever got what he wanted. You being transgendered doesn't bother me."

"Oldest daughter acting out? Uh, then you should know something," Chandra muttered. "I saw them when I was sneaking around the house, and she died the ends of her hair red."

"What?!" the man exclaimed. "Oh, she is _grounded_ when I get home!"

"It's not like she dyed all of her hair," Chandra pointed out. "Or got highlights. Or dyed her roots. Just the ends of her hair. Easy fix if she doesn't like the red. She just cut it off. She's got really long hair anyway."

"I know, but _fuck!_ " the man shouted, leaning back and lowering the gun. "She didn't even ask permission or anything! She just went out and did it!" He looked like he was thinking on something, and then it hit him. "Hey, I don't mean to pry, but you said you're trans and you have a kid. How does that work exactly? Is your fiancé a woman you didn't have the work done?"

"Actually, he was born a woman and has been having trouble with gender reassignment surgeries," Chandra answered. "And no, I haven't had my genital reassignment surgery either. The whole thing just freaks me out and I don't know why!"

"I don't blame you," the man said. "I'm Sorin."

"Chandra." They came up to the intersection by the dealership. "That's the place," she pointed out.

Sorin looked at the dealership. "Okay, seatbelt on," he ordered. Chandra obeyed. "Now, I want you to drive through the large window in the front."

"Are you insane?" Chandra asked, giving Sorin a bewildered look.

"Yes," he answered. "Now drive."

Chandra took a deep breath. "Fuck my life," she groaned, and slammed the gas. With some precise steering, she sped across the intersection, making two cars crash into each other; across the lot, and smashed through the large window of the dealership building. Sorin had sat back and buckled himself in. Something he wished he had done years ago. Bolas came running out of his office, wearing his favorite, stupid bowler hat. Chandra and Sorin crawled out of the minivan.

"Nalaar!" Bolas snapped. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"A whole lot stupid bullshit," Chandra answered.

Sorin walked up and handed Chandra a wad of cash. "Go buy yourself something nice," he told her. "Or stay and watch what I do to annoying fucks who send punks to break into my house." He went, and slammed his fist into Bolas's jaw, knocking the older man down. His stupid hat went rolling away. That's when Saheeli showed up, gasping in alarm. Bolas quickly got up and fought back. Sorin only ended up putting him back down on the floor with speed.

"Oh my goodness! What's going on?" Saheeli asked Chandra, who almost smiled at seeing Bolas getting his comeuppance.

"Well, I had a gone pointed at my head," Chandra answered.

"Don't make me come back here, scum," Sorin snarled. He turned away. "And that's how you deal with dirt bags like him. Come on, I'll buy you a few drinks." Chandra led him to her car, a nice red, two-door car with a collapsible roof. "We'll go to-." His cellphone rang. He groaned and answered. "Yeah?"

"Dad, Avacyn's stupid boyfriend is here!" Thalia reported.

"What? I told her he wasn't allowed in the house!" Sorin responded.

"Avacyn even said that, but he didn't listen!" Thalia told him. "Now I hear them fighting!"

"Okay; calm down," Sorin sighed. "Lock yourself in your bedroom and put a chair against the knob. I'll be there as quickly as possible." He hung up and ran back to get the garage clicker from the minivan. He ran back. "We'll take a rain check on those drinks. My daughter's boyfriend is in my house and I'm worried what he'll do."

"Right. Who's her boyfriend?" Chandra asked, getting into the driver's seat. Saheeli hopped into the back.

"Some fuck named Griselbrand," Sorin answered, getting into the passenger's seat.

"Ew, him? Shouldn't you daughter have standards?" Chandra responded, driving ten miles over the speed limit.

"You know him?" Sorin asked.

"HA! Hardly!" Chandra replied. "I just know he's some fucked up, demon-worshipping, drug dealer."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Sorin groaned, "and my daughter is dating him! Floor it!"

Chandra applied more pressure to the gas, now going twenty over the limit. Her eyes were everywhere as she slipped between cars and ran red lights to reach their destination. Her fiery colored hair actually looked like fire in the wind. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckled turned white. Sorin had never seen such a skilled driver. She was now thirty over the limit. To make a sharp turn, Chandra slammed her other foot on the brake and turned hard, the tires screeching loudly, and Chandra slammed the gas down, removing her other foot from the brake. They shot straight forward.

 _Who taught this kid to drive?_ Sorin wondered. _Does she even have her license?_

They arrived back at Sorin's house and he got out. Chandra and Saheeli got out and followed. Sorin ran inside, hearing arguing from upstairs. As he reached the top, he saw Griselbrand hit Avacyn and knocked her the floor.

"YOU FUCKER!" Sorin shouted.

Griselbrand and Avacyn gasped and looked at him. Griselbrand wasn't stupid and ran out. Sorin dove for him but missed and the younger man took the stairs three at a time. He saw the front door blocked by Chandra and Saheeli. He charged into them, knocking them down. Saheeli shouted something vulgar at him as he got into his car and drove off. Sorin came running out. Chandra followed him to his car. They sped after Griselbrand, both cars causing accidents along the way. They followed him up into the hills. Griselbrand hid in lovely condo. Big mistake. Sorin drove under the condos and found the one Avacyn's bad apple of a boyfriend was hiding in. There he saw an angry, psychotic looking woman along with Griselbrand.

"GRISELBRAND YOU FUCK! HOW DARE YOU HIT MY DAUGHTER!" Sorin shouted.

"SHE WAS THE ONE WHO GOT MOUTHY WITH ME!" Griselbrand responded.

"SO THAT JUSTIFIES YOU GOING INTO MY HOUSE AND HITTING HER?!" Sorin snapped. He looked to the beams, then Chandra. "How stable do those beams look?" he asked her.

Chandra looked. "Pretty fucking stable." Then Sorin's idea hit her. "Oh, I see what you mean. Got tools and some heavy duty chains?"

"In the trunk," Sorin answered.

Chandra got out and grab the stuff. Sorin's car looked like it could handle quite a bit. Sorin and Griselbrand continued arguing back and forth while Chandra went to work. She loosened the bolts, which made the structure unstable. Next she took the chains and wrapped one end around a beam and connected the other end to Sorin's car.

"We're good," she informed him.

"Excellent," Sorin replied. They got into his car and started driving. When Griselbrand and the other woman realized what was happening, they got off the deck as it collapsed.

"Holy shit! That was awesome!" Chandra cheered.

"Thank you." Sorin felt better. After getting the chain back in the trunk with his tools, they started back for his house. "Now, let's grab your friend and get those drinks I promised."

Chandra smiled. "Okay. You're a riot, you know that?" she asked.

"I haven't felt this good in a long-ass time," Sorin replied. "So thanks." His cellphone rang again and it was an unknown number. He answered. "Who is this?" he asked.

"Are you _fucking_ insane?!" Griselbrand snapped. "That wasn't my house you knocked down!"

"GIVE ME THE MOTHERFUCKING PHONE!" a woman screamed.

"Yes ma'am," Griselbrand responded.

"YOU BASTARD!" the woman screamed at Sorin. "MY FATHER IS GOING TO COME AFTER YOU!"

"Oh, I'm so scared," Sorin told her. "Cry me a river. You tell Griselbrand that if he ever comes near my house or my daughters again, I'll put a fucking bullet in his skull!" He hung up. "Sheesh," he grumbled.

"That didn't sound good," Chandra pointed out, looking to him.

"Just some bratty daddy's girl being dramatic," Sorin responded.

"That woman up on the deck with Griselbrand though," Chandra muttered. "There was something familiar about her…Oh, fuck."

"What?" Sorin asked.

"That was Exava!" Chandra answered. "We might wanna lay low a few days. She's more than some overdramatic daddy's girl. She's the one of Rakdos's daughters."

"Who's Rakdos?" Sorin asked.

"One of the biggest Ravnican mob bosses and owner of like all of the strip clubs in town," Chandra answered. She took a few deep breaths. "Oh, my fiancé is gonna flip his shit…"

"We'll be fine," Sorin assured. They pulled into the driveway where Avacyn and Thalia were sitting on the front porch, Saheeli standing with them. They looked up and over Sorin and Chandra as they got out and came over. "Okay, we're going to dinner instead!" Sorin finally declared, and a fancy car pulled up. Everyone looked to the car as three men, Griselbrand, and Exava got out.

"Saheeli, take the girls inside," Chandra ordered.

Saheeli nodded and pulled Avacyn and Thalia inside. Exava grabbed a metal baseball bat and came stomping over. Chandra ducked behind Sorin, whom Exava swung at. Sorin quickly brought his arm up to defend himself and there was a loud _CRACK_ as the bat struck his arm. Exava then feigned another head blow, this time swinging to the right. Sorin, who had a pained look in his eyes, moved his arm to guard his head, but Exava quickly swung at his ribcage. Sorin grunted and fell to the ground. He had been beaten with a baseball bat before and felt like he 18 again, being beaten by his grandfather after a botched job.

"Exava!" one of the men shouted before his daughter could continue. Exava backed down. This was clearly Rakdos, for only he could easily command her. He approached Sorin. "Now, this is interesting. Sorin Markov, grandson of Edgar Markov of Innistrad."

"Fuck," Sorin grumbled.

"I suppose your dear grandfather doesn't know where you are?" Rakdos asked.

"No, and I don't intend for him to find me," Sorin answered with a groan.

"Then we will say nothing as long as you pay for repairs to my daughter's house," Rakdos told him. "It's quite the bill. Plus hotel fees."

Sorin grunted, trying to stand. "Fine," he responded.

"Three hundred million should cover the costs," Rakdos said.

"Deal," Sorin replied. _Fuck, how am I going to pay for this?_ He asked himself. He slowly stood, wincing in pain. He really didn't want his grandfather to find him and his girls, but he also had no way of paying this fucker off. He had his own property to pay for, and now medical bills. At least it got Rakdos, Exava, Griselbrand, and the other men to leave. Chandra helped Sorin to his feet, worried.

"What are you going to do?" Chandra asked.

"I'm going to the hospital," Sorin answered. "Can you drive me?"

Chandra nodded.

"Thank you," Sorin groaned. Avacyn, Thalia, and Saheeli got in Sorin's car with them. He needed time to think. He needed to call a friend…

* * *

It was a week later, after finding the number and location of his old hacker. She was the only one who would have a get-rich-quick plan to pay off Rakdos. He looked at the number he had put in. Was he really going back to a life a crime after being retired for a decade? He would be exposing himself and his daughters to his old allies and enemies. Of course, there was no other way to get three hundred million dollars in a short amount of time. With a sigh, he hit the talk button and put the phone to his ear. The phone rang three times before there was an answered.

"Hello?" greeted a male, yet slightly female sounding, voice.

"Is this the number of Jacqueline Beleren?" Sorin asked.

Silence. "Sorin Markov? It's Jace now," the voice answered. "It's been a while. So, what can I do for you?" he questioned.

"I need money. Fast," Sorin replied. "Can we talk in person?"

"Come to 1002 Mindseeker Way in the 10th District," Jace ordered. "You'll know the house when you see it."

"Be there soon," Sorin told him. He hung up and got in his car and drove to the address Jace gave him. So, she was finally a he now? Some part of him couldn't believe that Jace finally made the transition. To Sorin, he would always be the soft-spoken young lady who worked on major jobs with him, N, and U; babysat his daughters, and cried on his shoulder after her cruel uncle caused her pain.

He found the house. It was pretty. Her-. His life of crime had paid off. Sorin got out of the car and went up to the door, completely missing the red car in the driveway. He knocked on the door and waited a few moments. He heard a dog barking, running up to the door in excitement. Someone came running up.

"Down Luna!" ordered a female voice. That didn't sound like Jace. "Sit!" The door opened and revealed Chandra standing in the doorway.

"Sorin?" Chandra raised a brow in shock.

"Chandra? What are you doing here?" Sorin asked.

"I could ask you the same thing; I don't remember giving you my address," Chandra replied, leaning against the frame. She looked a bit tired, like she hadn't slept well. Sorin remembered she had a kid with-.

"Jace Beleren is your fiancé?" Sorin asked.

"How did you-? You _know_ him?" Chandra exclaimed.

"Well, this is both awkward and interesting," Sorin chuckled. "Now I have to play overprotective dad on you. She used to babysit my daughters back when we lived in Innistrad. And helped with other things. Like-. She-. Sorry, he. He probably hasn't told you everything so I'm not going to tell you." He ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, not used to using male pronouns for Jace. S-. He always preferred to be called Jace, which is a gender-neutral name, but he was a boy for a long time."

"Right, well, come in," Chandra offered, moving out of the way.

Sorin entered the house, and gave the dog Luna a treat. Luna trotted off with a piece of jerky from the bowl by the door. He moved to the living room where Jace was, wearing black jeans and blue t-shirt. He looked up at Sorin and smiled softly. It was the same smiled Sorin remembered.


	4. Chapter 3: The Jewelry Store Job

Sorin had explained the situation to Jace.

"You're an idiot," Jace groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Chandra brought them both Earl Grey tea. She made herself Assam. Jace sipped her tea, and Sorin sipped his.

"But, do you have anything?" Sorin asked.

Jace closed his blue eyes, leaning back and thinking. Chandra looked between them. She didn't know Jace was a criminal. Okay, she knew Jace was once a professional hacker, but claimed he had worked on defensive software. She wondered what else he lied about. Finally, he opened his eyes and spoke.

"There's this overpriced jewelry store," he stated. "Do you remember Scale?"

"She's still around?" Sorin asked.

"Yes, and she's had her eyes on Sultai Jewelers for a while," Jace answered. "She still does the jewelry ends of the business, whereas we are, well, were, retired." He stood. "Let me get a few things and we will go scout the place." He looked to Chandra. "I hate to ask you this, but can you stay with Vesper?"

"Sure," Chandra answered.

"Thank you." Jace went and kissed her lips softly. He could just sense that there was a lot for them to talk about later. He went to get his laptop and some devices and followed Sorin to his car. Once inside, Jace groaned.

"We should have her work on the job," Sorin pointed out.

Jace looked at him like he had grown a second, eyes wide. "No! Hell no!"

"She's the best driver I've ever seen," Sorin told Jace, driving to Sultai Jewelers. "Went thirty, close to forty over the speed limit, ran several red lights, and made sharp turns almost perfectly. She's a great getaway driver. Do you even know what's she been doing as her 'job'? She's been repossessing cars. Illegally."

"I-." Jace sighed. "I know about her own illegal activities. But this…This is real with real risks, real dangers. And prison is unkind to people like us." He looked out the window. "I didn't say anything to the feds if you're wondering what went wrong ten years ago."

"I know," Sorin responded. "You were busy setting up your uncle."

Jace nodded. "He's getting out soon…" He pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face in them. "There's an order of protection so that he can't come near me or Kallist without getting in trouble but…"

"When has that ever stopped that sadistic fuck," Sorin finished. He looked at Jace. He had so many problems it wasn't funny. He suffered a cold, hard upbringing and life, all with half a stomach, insomnia, depression, and the knowledge he was the wrong gender, which led to bad anxiety. He was one of the smartest people Sorin knew, able to hack anything, anywhere and come out rich. Sorin, his wife Nahiri, Ugin, Kallist, and a handful of others had carried and supported Jace through his horrible teen years when he was at his worst, when he couldn't get what he needed because dear Uncle Tezzeret forbid it.

"H-how's Avacyn and Thalia?" Jace asked, trying hard not to cry. He had to change the subject before his drowned in his tears and despair.

"They're good," Sorin answered, wanting to change the subject also. He knew Jace well, and knew he was on the verge of tears. "They're both great students, they're on the fencing team, and Thalia thinks she knows what she wants to do. She wants to go into fashion and revive some old styles in a modern setting and maybe do a little modeling on the side. Considering how she's basically the fashionista of the family, I think she'll be brilliant. Avacyn on the other hand: She doesn't really know what she wants. It doesn't help she's acting out though. My therapist says it's because she misses her mother."

"You have shrink?" Jace giggled. "The great Sorin Markov has to see a shrink."

"What about you? I know transgenders have to see shrinks for mental evaluations," Sorin pointed out.

"Yes; it's how I met Chandra," Jace responded. "I was waiting for Alhammeret and she came out of his office-."

"Dr. Alhammeret?" Sorin asked.

"You have him too?" Jace responded.

"Yeah. But go on."

"Thank you; so Chandra came out of his office, thought I was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen aside from a few of her guy friends, and started flirting with me. I quickly told her I was born a woman and then she told me she was born a guy. We exchanged numbers and went on a few dates, learned about each other. And I thought I had a shitty life. Chandra watched her father get murdered in front of her when she was 11, and then her mother went to prison for taking revenge on the murderer. I left out the part where I was a criminal when I told her I was a hacker. I can tell she's upset about the details I left out."

"You weren't ready to tell her; that's all," Sorin pointed out. "But she's a good woman. After spending a day with her, I can tell she doesn't take orders, but will do what needs to be done. Especially with the right incentive."

"Do I want to know?" Jace asked.

"She broke into my house, jacked my daughter's car, and I put a gun to her head," Sorin answered. "I swear, I had no idea she was your fiancé. She was surprisingly calm about the whole thing."

"Which is crazy, considering she's loud, wild, and does she wants," Jace laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I love her. We're just polar opposites, yet she encourages me to be more of an extrovert and I seem to inspire a calm in her. It's…Strange. I used to seldom leave the house except therapy and to pick up essentials, and even then Kallist was usually around to help me."

"Good," Sorin stated simply. "She's good for you. You need people to help you out of your shell."

"And I've gotten more supporters for being transgendered," Jace pointed out.

"The people who supported Chandra?" Sorin asked.

"Yeah! She's got an amazing family and amazing friends," Jace answered. They pulled up to the small, outdoor mall where Sultai Jewelers was located. Jace took out his laptop and brought up satellite images. "Let's see… Move around to the east side of the mall." Sorin did so and saw a construction site. An older building was being renovated and had a lot of access points to the roof. "Can you get onto the roof? Sultai Jewelers is at the north end, and I want a better view of their roof. I can see the ventilation access there, but I need to know if there any extra defenses for it." Sorin nodded and got out, taking his smart phone and a headset with him.

He entered the building and called out. No answer. So, he started making his way up to the roof. "So, how much is Scale paying?" he asked.

"Enough to pay off Rakdos and still have enough left over to pay everyone's fees," Jace answered. "Her services have gotten even better since the old days."

Sorin nodded, though Jace couldn't see. "Good. We need as much as we can get." He climbed a ladder, wincing in pain as his ribcage was jarred. He got onto the roof. "Fuck, getting too old for this." He went over to the roof of Sultai Jewelers and got a look at the vent. The vent was surrounded by a high wall and barbed wire. Sorin moved around it, taking pictures and sending them to Jace. "Hmm, this platform here…" Sorin muttered, climbing up and taking a picture of the vent from an elevated point. "A well-aimed throw of knock-out gas and everyone in the building would be out cold."

"Indeed. But I need to see the interior," Jace pointed out. "Okay, I got what I need of the roof. Come back in and I get you set up to examine the interior."

"Right," Sorin responded. He rejoined Jace, who gave him earbud and put a small pin on the collar of Sorin's shirt. Next came a pair of glasses with a discrete, wireless webcam. "Sheesh, you should be working for the government or the feds."

"I could," Jace muttered. "But I guess I like a little more risk instead. Now, let's get back to the north side. You'll go in and I'll take pictures via the webcam in your glasses. Also, talk to people. I need to know the goings on."

Sorin nodded and did so. He entered the Sultai Jewelers, which was richly decorated, letting people know just how wealthy the store's owner was. Jace was in the car, watching the live footage. Sorin looked at each display case, showing off the sparkling jewels. There was a lot of gold, platinum, and diamonds. A few colored gems like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires; birthstone jewelry, and some custom pieces. Finally, he went up to the front counter and started chatting with the saleswoman about birthstone bracelets for his daughters. While the woman was looking for bracelets, Sorin looked at the vent up on one wall, which was made to blend in with the décor. Next he spotted the safe. Jace zoomed in on it. No way to open it without heating up or damaging the merchandise. Next, Sorin looked at the security pad by the door. Jace got what he needed. After examining the bracelets, Sorin promised to consider them and left. He rejoined Jace in the car.

"Got what you needed?" he asked.

"Yep," Jace answered. "Take us to the old clothing warehouse on Tin Street. We can start planning the job there."

Sorin nodded and drove there. The place was basically abandoned with a lot of products left behind from when the warehouse was still in use. Sorin looked at the fabrics and old clothes, mannequins, sewing machines, thread, and easels. This was all stuff Thalia would like. Just dust some of it off and it would be usable. He saw Jace had gone up to the second floor and hurried after him. They entered a pretty large office. There was a bulletin board, a desk, and a sofa. Jace set up and printed some pictures. He pinned them to the bulletin board.

"Like doing thing the old fashioned way?" Sorin asked.

"Easier to get rid of the evidence," Jace replied. "Now, the way I see it, there's only one tried and true way to do this. We procure extermination gear: Masks, suits, and knock-out gas. We get someone on the roof to toss a canister of the gas into the ventilation system. Everyone inside Sultai Jewelers passes out. Someone will hack the security system to keep it from going off once you start busting those display cases. Sadly, we'll only have a limited time to bust the cases, grab the goods, and get the Hell out. I was thinking three people to go in, one to release the gas, and a hacker."

"Good; you hack," Sorin ordered.

"I'm too rusty and might not get you enough time," Jace pointed out. "No. I have another guy who can do it. Dack Fayden. Not too pricy, but he's good. "We can have guns, but we need people who are better drivers than gunmen."

"Chandra can do it," Sorin told him. "Put her on the roof with the knockout gas if you don't want her in the store, seeing as how that's where the heat will be."

Jace scratched his arm. He really didn't want to put Chandra in danger. At all.

"Besides, I'll be there and let nothing happen to her," Sorin assured.

Jace fidgeted. "Okay. I'll let her do this. But if she dies, I'll make your life Hell, Markov," he warned.

"Trust me, she's an amazing driver," Sorin promised. "And I think she's got a good arm."

"I expect she would since she played softball in high school," Jace muttered. "Okay, I need a semi and the extermination gear. We also need to get a driver for the semi, you I'm assuming, since I know you're a good driver yourself. And two more people. I had one person in mind who can provide three motorcycles."

"Okay, who are the guys?" Sorin asked.

Jace pulled out two files. One was for a Ral Zarek and the other for some nobody whose name Sorin wouldn't remember after this. Ral, on the other hand, would be somebody worth remembering. He had skill in both driving and gunmanship, but was also pretty cheap by his standards. Sorin liked the options. The second guy was cheap with low skill with a gun and a so-so driving skill. He would do.

"Okay, I like our options; cheap but decent to pretty skilled," Sorin told Jace.

"Like with Chandra, I am hesitant to use Ral for this," Jace admitted. "But he did say if I had any interesting and big work for him, to give him a call. He's also a part time mechanic and runs a science vlog on YouTube. Mostly techno babble, but at least he makes it interesting with his boyfriend."

"No kidding?" Sorin chuckled.

Jace smiled. "Yep. So, I'll give Chandra a call to go get a semi, you get the extermination gear, and I'll call the others to come. We'll do this Monday, as people are more tired then."

* * *

Chandra looked around the room. Three others, including Sorin and her friend Ral, wore dark blue coveralls like she did and had gas masks. Everything was in position for a big robbery. Chandra recognized Dack Fayden from high school, the Italian still gorgeous as ever. Jace walked in. "Okay," he started, getting everyone's attention.

"We're robbing Sultai Jewelers," he announced to everyone. He pointed to various pictures and pages on the bulletin board. "After you leave here, Sorin, you will drive the extermination van to the construction zone where Chandra will get onto the room with a can of knockout gas. Then you will meet back up outside the jewelry store. Sorin, Ral, and Leo, you'll enter the store once everyone is unconscious. Start busting the display cases. Fayden, how much time can you get us?"

"Thirty second min, forty-five max," Dack answered.

"Sounds like good time," Sorin said. "So we move our asses."

"The bikers were planted and are still there," Jace assured. "So, Chandra will take the extra bag Sorin has. Chandra, Ral, and Leo: You'll get on those motorcycles and get the fuck out. Sorin will take the van and get rid of it and meet you outside the tunnel where construction is being done. Then we meet up at Scale's warehouse. We get paid, we split up, go home, and celebrate the fact we're still alive."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Jace and Dack went straight to work and everyone else went to the van. Sorin and Chandra were up front, the others in the back. This allowed Sorin to talk to Chandra personally.

"So, how is everything?" he asked her, driving to the jewelry store.

"Complicated," Chandra answered. "It's still hard to believe that was…All of this. It's more overwhelming than anything."

Sorin nodded. "It sometimes seems that way," he told her. "But stay focused on your goal and you'll be fine. We do this right, we'll be richer. Who's babysitting?"

"Saheeli. She think Jace and I going out for a much needed date night," Chandra answered.

Sorin nodded again. "Good. Keep her thinking that."

"But for how long?"

"However long you want."

"Right."

They arrived at the building being worked out and Chandra got out with a bag containing a gas mask, a few cans of the knockout gas, and rope and harness to get down from the building quick. She took a deep breath and climbed onto the door. She attached the rope to a sturdy pole and put on her harness. She looked out over the side of the building and saw Sorin pulling up. The motorcycles were right where they needed to be. Sorin and the others hopped out and undid the chains holding the motorcycles to the bike rack. They got them in place to make a quick getaway. Chandra then got on her gasmask and gloves and got on the platform. She got the gas in on the second try. She turned on her headset.

"The place is getting gassed now," she reported. She hooked up to the rope and got down just in time to see everyone inside the jewelry store collapse. She and the group went inside.

They removed the jewelry from the salespeople and the customers. Sorin alerted Dack and Jace to turn off the alarms. They had forty-five seconds, and they made it count. They busted the display cases open and removed the contents. They made quick work of it and were out just as they ran out of time. There was a guy outside who was already calling the cops. Sorin grabbed his neck and slammed him against the wall.

"You best forget real quick that you saw us," Sorin told the man. The man nodded in fear and Sorin dropped him. He turned the others. "I'll see you all in a bit." He got into the van and drove off.

Ral took the lead, Leo behind him and Chandra behind him. They rode hard, and got police attention painfully quick. The alarms had gone off right after they left. And of course, the police fired at them! Ral was a damn good leader, knowing the city inside and out. He got them to the tunnels, but Leo crashed at the entrance. Chandra grabbed his bag and hurried up after Ral. He guided her through the tunnels. They got out onto the river where Sorin was with truck. Dack and Jace had managed to get the police completely thrown off, so the truck was waiting, ramp down and door open. Chandra and Ral loaded up. Sorin got them to the warehouse outside of town.

Jace and Dack were there, and woman with long black hair in a braid came out with them. Chandra's eyes widened at the sight of her. They were the same height and had the same hourglass figure, though the one Sorin and Jace called Scale was pale with almond-shaped eyes the color of amethysts. She wore a purple blouse and blue jeans, colorful shoes, and a silver dragon pendant clutching an orb of amethyst. Trailing behind her was a black lynx with blue eyes. Was it legal for someone to have a pet lynx?! And why was its tail long and fluffy?

"Wait, where's that Leo guy?" Sorin demanded.

"He crashed before we entered the tunnels," Ral answered. "Guy was a moron."

"His loot?" Scale asked, looking between them.

"Grabbed it," Chandra answered, producing both hers and Leo's bags.

Jace smiled, proud of his wife-to-be. Ral, Sorin, and Scale cheered, patting Chandra on the back. Dack grinned and congratulated Chandra on making the recovery. Jace came over and hugged and kissed Chandra. Everyone gave an "aww" at the happy, proud couple. They then pulled away.

"You're amazing," he told her. "You have every reason to be proud of yourself. I was scared something would hap-." He felt something warm, wet, and sticky on Chandra's shoulder.

Chandra gasped in pain and looked to her arm. The sleeve was torn and there was a graze, about quarter of an inch deep, on her arm. She grabbed the wound, and suddenly felt lightheaded as adrenaline started wearing off. How much blood did she lose? She finally realized the sleeve was soaked and blood had drizzled and soaked into her glove. She stumbled, people catching her. Her vision started getting fuzzy.

"KARR! CLEAR A TABLE AND GET THE FIRST AID KIT!" Scale shouted.

"Sorin, can you carry her inside?" Jace asked.

She suddenly felt light as she was lifted up and carried inside. She was placed on a hard surface, and a bright late was the last thing she saw before blacking out…

* * *

N…

Na-…ri?

"NAHIRI!" someone shouted.

As she opened her eyes, she was assaulted and blinded by a bright light. Her small hands went to her rectangular-shaped, silver eyes to guard them. How long had she slept? How drunk had she gotten? She felt whatever she had eaten in the last day start to come back up. She gagged and ran to the bathroom. She puked into the toilet, wincing in that oh-so-lovely helpless and despair. She brushed her wild, grey-white hair out of her pale face, flushed the toilet, and climbed into the shower. After freshening up and changing into a pair of lounge clothes consisting of yoga pants and a loose night shirt, she moved to the living room where she saw her siblings, both white-haired, silver-eyed, and pale like she. One was her brother Munda, who was holding their sister Akyli close, trying to keep her frayed mind calm. No wonder she was awake. It was her turn to give Akyli her medicine. With a sigh, Nahiri got their sister's medicine and injected it. The frazzled young woman soon calmed and slumped in her brother's hold. Munda moved her back to her room and rejoined Nahiri.

"You need to lay off the booze," he told his old sister as she turned on the television.

"How can I, knowing I'm a failure of a wife and parent?" Nahiri asked. "I let my husband die and my daughters are out there somewhere, wondering whether or not I'm dead…"

"Oh, for the love of-! That was ten years ago! Move on!" Munda chided.

"Breaking news! Sultai Jewelers was robbed earlier today!" the news anchor, a lovely woman named Linvala, announced. "Knockout gas rendered sales team, security guard, and customers unconscious before a crew of robbers disguised as exterminators entered Sultai Jewelers and robbed the vicinity. This man beside me, Mr. Noyan Dar, claims he saw what was happening and tried to alert authorities."

"One of the robbers came out, pinned me against the wall, and told me 'You best forget real quick that you saw us' before leaving," Noyan pointed out.

Nahiri dropped the cookie she was about to eat, eyes widening in shock. _No,_ she thought in shock and horror. "Just…fucking…no."

"Nahiri?" Munda looked to her, seeing the look on his sister's face. She had gone sheet white, and that was what scared him.

Suddenly, Nahiri moved to action and wrote something down. She handed it to Munda. "Safe combination to access Akyli's medicine. Don't let her see it or she'll OD." Next she ran to the back of the three-bedroom trailer in Silmont's Crossing north of the city of Ravnica. It was a small community of 10,000 people, with farms and nice people. Nahiri lived in the little trailer park on the edge of town.

She threw off her lounge clothes and changed into something more suitable: Brown leather pants, a light, breezy, cream top; a brown, suede vest; brown leather boots, and her favorite gloves and red ribbon she wore on her upper arm. It was a tribal thing from her ancestors. She was a smith and ran a small, manufacturing business that made construction tools and weapon replicas. Half the time, she made real elegant pieces on commission. So, she made a good living with her take from the bank heist ten years ago. That's what the red ribbon on her arm meant.

Next, she brushed her hair and put on her favorite sunglasses. It would be a long, five-hour trip to Ravnica. She packed a backpack, putting only the essentials in it: A change of clothes, extra underwear, tampons, hairbrush, and her favorite, custom pistol. Munda was in the doorway, watching her as she then slipped her boat knives in each boot and equipped her pocket knife to her belt.

"How long will you be gone?" Munda asked.

"I don't know," Nahiri answered, moving to the bathroom to pack her toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Ravnica."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

"You go paler than a ghost over something on the TV and now you're off to Ravnica. I think it really does matter."

"Fine: My soon-to-be-very-dead husband is alive."

"Wait, seriously?!" Munda exclaimed.

"Yes, seriously!" Nahiri responded, now in the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and shoved it into her backpack. "Only that movie-loving, H.P. Lovecraft-worshipping, Dracula wannabe motherfucker would drop a shitty line!" She packed a couple things of junk food. "Fucker should be a damn author!" She stomped outside and went to the parking lot where her silver and white motorcycle was.

Munda followed her. "Do you think your daughters are with him?" he asked.

"They better be," Nahiri answered, mounting her bike. "If not, I'm going to kick his cigar-smoking ass." Then, she was off, heading for Ravnica…


	5. Chapter 4: A Family Reunited

Chandra awoke, feeling weak and tired. She felt a good kind of fuzzy as a result of pain killers. She wanted to kiss whoever gave them to her. She looked to her right and saw Jace, sound asleep in a chair beside the bed she lay on. She heard someone shouting and decided to investigate. A woman was shouting at Sorin.

"…you insane?!" the woman snapped. She had long, blond hair and pale eyes. She wore a pant suit of deep violet with a navy blue tie and black shoes. "Everyone is going to be on this! And if your wife and your grandfather catch wind of it, you are _FUCK!_ "

"Okay, first of all Emeria, Nahiri is dead and secondly, my grandfather is in his nineties, smokes more than I do, drinks more than I do, and, from what you told me, is suffering from liver failure and there's a chance he's developed lung cancer to boot! The old fuck should die any day now! And even if my crazy wife is somehow alive, I can still go back to Innistrad and be safe from her wrath when the old bastard finally croaks," Sorin told the woman.

The woman, Emeria, groaned, slapping her hand to my face. "Fine! Just don't come crying to me if Nahiri shows up on your doorstep with a fucking gun!" She stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind her, and Chandra realized she was in Sorin's house.

"What the Hell was that all about?" she asked Sorin.

"Hey! You're awake!" Sorin cheered.

"Yeah." They looked at the door.

"Don't worry about that," Sorin sighed irritably. "That's Emeria, a fed."

"The fuck?" Chandra exclaimed.

"She wasn't here to arrest anyone," Sorin assured. "She was here to remind me that my girls and I are under federal protection and that I shouldn't going off and committing crimes on their dollar."

"So you're a fed?" Chandra asked.

"No; I pay them a monthly sum and they keep my wife and grandfather from find my daughters and I," Sorin answered. "My wife gradually went insane, the life of crime getting to her brain. And my grandfather runs the mafia in Innistrad." He poured some vodka into shot glasses and handed one to Chandra. "I'm certain my wife is dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Don't you love your wife?" Chandra asked.

"I don't love what she became," Sorin answered, downing his vodka. "She was insane, out of control. In the beginning, she robbed banks and burned down buildings to appease my grandfather, who wasn't pleased I married her. She was trying to survive. But then, she came to love it and craved the thrills whereas I was only doing it to get by and make sure our daughters were safe. It was like we switched personalities. I realized it was only a matter of time before she snapped and did something really fucked up. I had to take the girls and hide from her and my grandfather. And before you ask, YES. Yes, I was involved in a lot of really fucked up shit. I loved it at first. Then I met Nahiri and fell in love with her. But I always knew that when she got a grudge, she holds a grudge, and I never want to be on the receiving end of it. So, I made a deal with Emeria to have Nahiri put away while I got away with our take of a heist that would supposedly go wrong and Ugin would use his share to bail himself out of prison. Of course, things didn't go as planned. Emeria accidently shot and killed Ugin and Nahiri got away. Then I moved out here with the girls after burying Ugin with stone that had my name on it."

"So that's what happened." They turned to see Jace. "Instead of trying to knock sense into her, you went and did that? You…Brainless idiot!" He groaned. "Nahiri's alive you moron!"

"The fuck…? How do you know?" Sorin asked.

"I've been keeping tabs on her for the last ten years," Jace answered. He sat down with a groan. "She's living out in Silmont's Crossing north of here, running a manufacturing business that provides construction materials and weapon replicas. She's doing okay for herself, but she thinks you're-." His phone went off, giving an alarm sound. "Fuck…" He took out his phone. "Munda says she's on her way to Ravnica now."

"Munda? Nahiri's brother?" Sorin asked.

"Sorin, you might want to make yourself scarce before Nahiri finds you," Jace pointed out.

"No…I got myself into this mess," Sorin sighed. "I'll put up with her. We're still legally married after all."

* * *

Jace and Chandra went home in the morning. Sorin didn't get any sleep and was sitting at the island in his kitchen that afternoon, chugging a cup of coffee. He had spent the day thinking, trying to piece together what he was going to say to Nahiri. He didn't have crap. Thalia entered the kitchen to make herself some lunch. She wore her hair in a ponytail and wore grey yoga pants, a white tank top, and her favorite yoga shoes. She looked at her dad and saw the look on his face.

"Dad? Are you okay?" she asked.

"What?" Sorin slipped back into reality and looked to Thalia. _She looks like Ugin,_ he thought somberly. Even though he was certain of that bitter reality that Thalia wasn't even remotely his, he still loved her like a daughter. "Oh, no. I just found out your mother's alive and found out I'm alive and is coming here."

"What the-? Seriously?!" Thalia exclaimed.

"Yep, and she's probably going to yell and scream at me, cuss me out, kick my ass, and the whole nine yards," Sorin responded. "And I'm just gonna let her." He chugged the cooled off coffee. "And she'll likely just scream that I'm not your father just to cause me pain."

"Wait, what?" Thalia asked.

"There's a chance I'm not your father," Sorin answered. "I hate to tell you this, and it kills me to admit it. But Thalia: Never doubt for second that I love you as a daughter. I was there throughout the pregnancy, held you in my arms when you were born, and raised you."

Thalia had tears in her eyes. She bit her lip and nodded stiffly. They heard the door open and close. Sorin wasn't quite sure if it was Avacyn or someone else.

"Well, since we're telling each other important stuff, there's something you should know about Ava-." She didn't finished her sentence, eyes now looking at the entryway to the kitchen.

Sorin followed her gaze and looked to Nahiri, standing there, looking into the kitchen. She stood like a statue, her face neutral. She was more beautiful than Sorin remembered, and looked damn good for her age. No one said anything nor moved. It was all so impossible, but the feelings of love awoke, burning. Finally, Sorin swallowed hard and spoke.

"Welcome home." A simple greeting, one he wanted to say to Nahiri for so long and hadn't realized just how badly he wanted to say it.

Nahiri walked over and kissed him roughly. Sorin pulled her close, held her tight. They needed this, wanted it. Fire rekindled. They broke away, teary-eyed, and pressed their foreheads together. They shared a long, much needed moment before speaking again.

"It's been too long a day," Nahiri sighed, almost as if she had just been returning home from work when it had really been ten long years. Sorin moved away so she could see Thalia. Nahiri instantly knew this was her youngest. She went and hugged her daughter, who awkwardly hugged back with uncertainty. Slowly, it felt right. This was her mother, and Thalia didn't realize how badly she needed her mother's love and attention.

"Avacyn!" Sorin called. He left the kitchen and went to the stairs. "Avacyn! I need you to come to the kitchen!" He waited a moment before going up. "Avacyn?!"

Thalia remembered what she was going to tell her father. _Crap,_ she thought. Sorin came running back in.

"Thalia, do you know where Avy is?" he asked, looking worried.

"That's what I was about to tell you before Mom came in," Thalia answered, she and Nahiri pulling away. "She went to a party at the Cecani twins' house. I saw her get in a car with Griselbrand."

"Oh, fuck!" Sorin exclaimed. "Nahiri, you got a gun?"

"When don't I?" Nahiri responded.

"Thalia, stay here in case Avacyn shows up," Sorin ordered. "Nahiri, we got a party to crash." They ran out the house, Sorin calling Jace and Chandra. They slipped into his car. Chandra answered.

"What's up?" Chandra asked.

"Do you know where the Cecani family lives?" Sorin asked. "More specifically, these twins I've heard about?"

"Gisa and Geralf Cecani? Yeah," Chandra replied. "I went to school with their cousin Mikeaus. Nice guy; never said a bad thing about anyone. Except his cousins. Said Gisa was the worse of the two. They live at 999 Dimir Avenue."

"Meet me there," Sorin ordered. "Bring a gun and a big car you're not worried about trashing."

"Okay; I'll get Ral and Saheeli," Chandra said.

"Thank you!" They hung up and Sorin started driving. He called Avacyn's phone. It went straight to voicemail. "Shit!" He put his phone down, focusing on the road.

Nahiri had seen Sorin angry. Only once in her life had she been on the receiving end of his rage, and never wanted to be the center of that kind of attention ever again. She chose her words carefully. "I want details," she ordered calmly.

"Griselbrand is this punk with a record who I told Avacyn was not allowed in the house," Sorin explained, eyes on the road and knuckles sheet white. "I came home one day to him in the house and arguing with Avacyn. Then her hit her and chased him down to this psycho bitch's house. I thought Griselbrand lived there, so I ripped the bitch's deck down. Which pissed off her daddy, who made me pay him big bucks to repair the house, which I what led to me doing the jewelry store job. Which I'm assuming is how you found me."

"Yeah," Nahiri muttered.

"Then I found out last night you were alive from Jace, and then he got a text from Munda telling us you were coming," Sorin pointed out.

They arrived at a gated house just as Chandra was pulling up in a massive red car with a rack on the bumper. As she had said, Ral and Saheeli were with her. Chandra called Sorin and asked, "What's the plan?"

"You're going to run that gate down," Sorin answered.

"Got it." Chandra hung up and turned the wheel before slamming the gas and running the gate, she kept going after it was down until she crashed into someone's car. Sorin pulled up behind her, blocking the way out. The five got out of their cars. Chandra and her team had baseball bats. Sorin and Nahiri went inside. Drugs, alcohol, and sex everywhere. Sorin recognized Exava and tapped her shoulder. She glared at him.

"Tell me where Avacyn Markov is and I won't tell your daddy about this," he warned her.

"He doesn't care, but she's upstairs in the master bedroom," Exava responded.

Sorin nodded and he and Nahiri ran up. They kicked in a few doors. One room was lit by a single lamp and there was a young man at the desk. He looked up, wearing glasses. Classical music was playing.

"You mind? I have exams coming up!" he snapped.

"You realize there's a party here right?" Sorin asked.

"Yes. My stupid sister is throwing it. Now, please leave!"

"Sorry." Sorin shut the now broken door. "That was weird."

They kicked in the last door to see it empty. The king sized bed was rumpled, but there was blood and semen on the bedsheets. Sorin tensed, feelings of fear and nausea sinking in. Nahiri went to the double window doors that led to the balcony and saw two men, one carrying Avacyn over his shoulder getting into a car.

"HEY! STOP!" Chandra shouted, running to the car Griselbrand was getting into. He had managed to dump Avacyn in the trunk and got in before Chandra and her group noticed. He slammed the gas as Saheeli jumped onto the hood of the car. Ral and smashed a back window. Sorin and Nahiri jumped from the balcony onto a car, denting the roof badly. By that pointed, Griselbrand had smashed into his car and shoved it out of the way. Chandra got into the driver's seat, Ral calling shotgun. Sorin and Nahiri got into the back and shouted, "DRIVE!" Chandra floored it.

Griselbrand was swinging his car this way and that, trying to shake Saheeli off. The Kaladeshi woman was screaming. The guy in the passenger's seat rolled down his window, gun in hand, and adjusted himself to shoot her. Saheeli gasped in alarm. She rolled off the side and hit the ground hard. Something was definitely broken. Chandra saw Saheeli in the road. She wanted to stop and help her friend. But she had to keep going to help Avacyn. The clock was ticking.

"Sorin, I'm sorry, but I have to stop. Get Saheeli," Chandra said.

Sorin nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. He opened his door. Chandra slammed the brakes, coming to a halt beside Saheeli. Sorin hopped out, grabbed her, and got back into the car. Chandra slammed the gas, continued her pursuit. Sorin shut the door. They hadn't lost too much ground and Chandra was catching up fast. Sorin could see smoke from under the hood of Griselbrand's car. His passenger had shot the engine! They hit an intersection as the light turned green and a car slammed into Griselbrand's side. That resulted in a ten car collision. Chandra stopped. Sorin and Nahiri got out. Someone had crashed into the trunk of Griselbrand's car. They were in full panic. Ral came with a crowbar while Griselbrand crawled out through the windshield. Sorin grabbed his gun and unloaded full clip into him.

Ral opened the trunk. Avacyn was against the far side of the trunk, out of harm's way. She was wrapped up in a sheet, but shaking. She opened her pale silver eyes. Nahiri reached in and pulled Avacyn out, holding her close. She rocked her, humming softly to her terrified daughter. She carried her back to Chandra's car. The passenger from the car was running. Ral was faster and took him out with the swing of hi crowbar. Once Ral, Sorin, Nahiri, and Avacyn were back in Chandra's car, the redhead took a deep breath and drove them to the hospital.

* * *

Avacyn awoke with a groan in the hospital. She and Saheeli were sharing room, which was full of people worrying for them despite the nurses' protests that only two guests per patient were allowed. Avacyn looked to her worried father and sister, who held her hand. Sorin kissed her forehead.

"Daddy?" Avacyn whimpered.

"You're okay sweetheart," Sorin assured.

"I saw Mommy," Avacyn pointed out. "Did I die?"

"No," Sorin answered. He and Thalia moved aside, showing her Nahiri.

"Mom?"

Nahiri smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Yep. Mommy's home." Avacyn managed to get up enough to hug her tight. "I'm home…" This was where she needed to be, with her family. What could ruin that?"

"Markov!" someone shouted.

Oh yeah, the feds.

"What Emeria? Can't you see I'm busy being with my family?" Sorin demanded.

The woman frowned. "Yes, but my idiot superior has a problem which means I have a problem, and he wants me to make it your problem now," Emeria answered. "I swear, Ula is a fucking bastard and his little buddy Kosi is worse!" She groaned and glared at Sorin. "Your ass should have stayed dead. Maybe then, Ula wouldn't be dumping his stupid bullshit on me!"

"Okay, calm down," Sorin groaned. "Details."

"Fine, I'm going to have your 'dead body' delivered to Golgari Mortuary," Emeria explained, getting Nahiri's, Thalia's, and Avacyn's attentions. "You need to find someone who is supposedly dead: Name of Mizzix Izmagnus. Worked for the Izzet League. Was one of their top workers. He was called out to the home of a supposed terrorist to hook up cable and internet. A terrorist we need information on to eliminate them."

"Seriously?" Sorin asked.

"Seriously," Emeria answered. "Look, I wouldn't be coming to you personally if you hadn't robbed that jewelry store."

Sorin groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Nahiri was tense. Avacyn and Thalia exchanged worried glances. Chandra and Jace were looking over, Saheeli asleep. Emeria was waiting for an answer. There was no way of getting out of this; Sorin had royally fucked up when he pulled that psycho bitch's house off the hill because the now-dead Griselbrand hit his daughter. He was usually calm and better than that, but his little girls came first in everything, and who knew what Rakdos would have done to his girls if he hadn't robbed that jewelry store. He didn't want to think about it. He knew what would have happened. He took a long, deep, somewhat ragged breath and looked at Emeria.

"Fine, let's do this," he told her, Emeria nodding.


	6. Chapter 5: Search, Rescue, Kill

Sorin and Emeria pulled up to a flower and gardening shop called Beauty of Zendikar. It was run by a Zendikari mother and daughter. The first floor was a beautiful flower shop that also sold gardening supplies, tools, and books; handmade cards and jewelry, and had everything from flowers and arrangements to trees to fresh organic produce, supporting local farmers and giving cards for the locations of orchards, pumpkin patches, and petting zoos up in the countryside. There was a lot of green, adorned with the vibrant colors exotic flowers. Calm, soothing music played throughout the store, meant to enchant. The second floor of the building with two-bedroom, one bathroom apartment where the two women resided and the root had a large, beautiful greenhouse. Supposedly, they were growing a rare type of mushroom that was native only to Zendikar. Consuming the mushroom was supposed to mimic the effects of death, which would get Sorin into the morgue. But getting the women to agree to part with the mushroom was another story.

"Are you sure they're gonna just let us get this thing?" Sorin asked.

"There's no law against this mushroom being grown in the states," Emeria answered. "But it is very dangerous."

"I know, but you told the woman was a Joraga shaman," Sorin pointed out. "The mushroom in question is part of a sacred coming of age ritual that's supposed to make an adult Joraga's blood poisonous to vampires, thus protecting them from the undead."

"How do you know that?" Emeria asked.

"I spent a year in Zendikar with my wife on our honeymoon," Sorin answered. "She wanted to go home for a while. Being a good husband, I complied. It was all very third world and tribal, but we oversaw a Joraga coming of age ritual. The Joraga died upon eating the mushroom, but soon came back. The shaman had said that most come back. Others not so much."

"Maybe Mrs. Revane has a way to make sure you don't die," Emeria suggested.

Sorin didn't like this supernatural bullshit. Having seen what he had in Zendikar, it made him rightfully uneasy. They went up to the counter where the widowed Mrs. Meroe Revane was, arranging some white tulips for a wedding bouquet. Meroe was a short, yet willowy woman, just an inch or so above five feet. Her skin was well-cared for, a bit of a light, tawny color but her fingertips were stained green from working with plants. She had bright green eyes and short, curly, dark brown hair. She wore a white, boat neckline blouse with puffy sleeves and a bright pink flower pattern; dark blue, boot cut jeans; and a pair of brown boots. She wore no jewelry, save a silver bangle on her right wrist.

"Excuse me," Emeria greeted to the woman.

Meroe looked up. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked with a honey sounding voice.

"I understand it that you're growing the rare Joraga mushroom that has deathlike symptoms," Emeria answered. "I need it."

Meroe looked around. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she muttered.

Emeria pulled out her badge. "Azorius Senate. You'll be doing a public service. You going to help or not?"

Meroe sighed. "Fine."

They went upstairs to the roof where the greenhouse was. Meroe led them to a small building behind the greenhouse and entered through two doors. The room was dimly lit. There were three glass cases. Two were long with edible mushrooms growing alongside moss on rotted tree trunks. The third was a square glass box with the rare mushroom they were looking for. The wood was different from the other two, more solid but still rotting to support the fungus. Meroe took a key, gloves, and a knife and carefully opened the case so as not to disturb the spores too much. She put on the gloves and slid the knife in to cut a piece of the fungus off. She set it on a sheet of parchment before returning the lid to the case and sealing the fungus. She disposed of the gloves and the three left the mushroom chamber.

"Now, how strong do you want this?" she asked.

"I need it to last at least a day," Emeria answered.

Meroe nodded and they entered another small structure on the roof. This one was decorated in Joraga Animist fashion and Meroe started preparing the mushroom with great love and care. It was a dangerous thing to work with, and Sorin would spend the next twenty-four hours basically dead. Soon, Meroe had a potion ready and passed it to Emeria. Emeria then handed to Sorin.

"Alright Deadman, drink up," she ordered.

"Fuck my life," Sorin grumbled, downing a foul-tasting liquid. What happened next was a real messed up trip. The sound of him hitting the ground was enhanced and the dust that went up looked more like glitter, which danced and wove into faeries. It was a weird experience as he dreamed. So real, yet everything was just one fucked up illusion, and it took way too long for him to come out of it. When he woke up, he felt stiff, and saw a bright light that nearly blinded him. Two coroners were examining him, and grabbed scalpels to cut into him. _Oh, fuck_ _ **no**_ _,_ his mind shouted as he got up and attacked the one with the damned knife. The other guy ran from the room, screaming "ZOMBIE" at the top of his lungs. Sorin got the first guy unconscious.

"That could have gone bet-." He looked down and realized he was naked. "Oh, for fuck's sake! Where's my clothes?!" He found them nearby and got dressed. It seemed he had been left with a gun. He took it and his cellphone. He called Emeria.

"You awake?" she asked.

"Yeah, thankfully _before_ they decided to cut me open," Sorin answered.

"Sorry," Emeria apologized. "Just find Mizzix's body."

Sorin groaned and checked for the one tagged Mizzix Izmagnus. He found him, but something was wrong. He was painfully certain Mizzix wasn't Kamigawan. He put his phone to his ear. "Is Mizzix from Kamigawa?" he asked.

"No; he's Caucasian and born and raised here in Ravnica," Emeria answered.

"Then looks like the guy isn't here," Sorin pointed out.

"Shit, Ula was right," Emeria growled. "Sorin, you need to get out of there now." And as she had said that, the alarm went off and the building was on lockdown. "Shit, the Orzhov Syndicate is responding in force! Get out of there now!"

Sorin didn't need to be told twice. He had to carefully fight his way out of the building, hiding around corners and behind desks. The response team was in light tactical armor, hoping for only one or two zombies, or a dead man in a blind panic. Sorin himself still felt stiff, but he forced his body into action. He made it to an open window on a side of the building that wasn't blocked by local law enforcement and the Syndicate. He jumped out into a dumpster, groaning in annoyance and thought aloud, "Someday, I'm going to land on a bag of broken glass." He climbed out, hijacked a car, and got the Hell out of Hell.

He had once stupidly thought he was done with this shit.

* * *

When he got home, he took a sniff of himself and decided a shower was in order. He parked the car he stole a block away and made the rest of the way on foot. He saw his car and Nahiri's motorcycle. Well, his old motorcycle. He had wondered what happened to it. Typical Nahiri. She could be sentimental sometimes…No wait, that was him. Sorin smirked and slipped in undetected before getting upstairs to the bathroom. He never wanted to do any of that nonsense again, but he knew he would be forced to do the Azorius Senate's bidding from now on, mostly likely until he was dead.

He stepped out of the shower, dried off, made sure his clothes were in the hamper, wrapped a towel around his waist, and went to his bedroom. He got a little surprise when he entered. The curtains were drawn and the room was lit by red and black candles. On the bed were rose petals and his wife, wearing a sexy, red silk dress with black lace over it. She smiled, waiting for him. Sorin wondered how long she had been waiting like that. The candles were all new, so it could not have been too long. That or he hadn't been as sneaky as he thought and she had been watching and waiting for him to come up. The latter made sense.

"Seriously? After ten years and the fact you probably came here to kick my ass and I would have let you because I deserve it? You want sex?" he asked.

"How long have you been alone?" Nahiri questioned. "I've been alone for ten years. If I've had any man or woman in my bed, I don't remember. Probably was too drunk to remember anyway."

She had a point. Sorin hadn't really found anyone. There was one fling a few years ago, but she was pretty…Inactive. Nahiri always made it fun. He went to her, kissing her, holding her close. She traced the scars on his back from when his grandfather took a whip to his back because they had eloped. Next, he moved to her neck, his favorite place to kiss her. He kissed, nipped, and sucked on the skin. At the nap of her neck, he bit hard enough to bruise, but not break the skin. He was no vampire after all. Sure, he loved vampire movies…Okay, he loved the classics. These new teen pop vampire films could burn for all he cared.

"Mm, Sorin," Nahiri moaned as her husband pulled away. She gave him a wicked smirk and flipped them so she was on top and straddling his hips. She started grinding her bare vagina against Sorin's still covered penis. The friction from the towel made them gasp, and Sorin grabbed her hips, giving a small thrust against her. Damn it, he wanted to be inside her! He needed to lose the towel. He let out a small growl of annoyance. Nahiri just smiled that damnable smile, the smug one she gave when she wanted him to know just who was in charge.

"Damn it woman, let me get rid of this towel!" Sorin growled.

"Mm, no," Nahiri responded, and then giggled. It was infuriating! She continued her little dance, making the both moan. She ran her fingers over his firm chest, and abdomen, licking her pale lips.

Sorin quickly realized she wanted him to take command, that she would not stop teasing him until he did. So he gripped her hips tight and flipped them over. He shed his towel and thrust into her. She gasped, half in pain and half in pleasure. Sorin paused. Just how long had it been for her? He looked down, reading her, waiting for the okay. It had been too long. He kissed her softly and she wrapped her arms around his strong, broad shoulders. She had come here to be lost in throes of passion with him, but instead they had to relive the night they had consummated their love.

So, he was gentle with her, each thrust slow. He hoped he was satisfying her. He wanted it more than anything. Mostly as a result of that clawing little thought in the back his mind: _I failed to make her happy once._ It was a near crippling thought if he fed it enough. Though, he wondered, was it lousy sex or something else that had driven Nahiri into Ugin's arms? When they came, he saw she hadn't faked it, even though he had been careful and slow to make it easier for her. They were both rusty, but nothing had been fake. He pulled her close, kissing her, snuggling her. He wanted her to feel safe and secure. He loved her so, and didn't realize just how much he needed her. Soon, the slept…

* * *

"So, you need all of us?" Sorin asked, looking at Emeria, her superior Ula, and his right hand Kosi. They were having coffee, and they needed him, Nahiri, Chandra, and Jace for a rescue mission. A dangerous rescue mission. They needed to extract Mizzix from the Orzhov Syndicate building. Kosi had found out they were keeping him prisoner in a room two-thirds of the way up the building and were interrogating him. Kosi hadn't revealed how he came into the information, just that he had a friend on the inside. Sorin wanted to call bullshit.

"Yes," Emeria answered. "You're infamous as a sniper-."

"Better than you or Ugin would be alive," Sorin responded.

Emeria glared. "…Which makes you ideal for crowd control. We need Jace to hack the fire alarms to evacuate most of the building. Chandra did gymnastics most of her life, so she'll go in from a helicopter, through a window, and extract Mizzix. The helicopter will be piloted by Nahiri."

"Wait, you want Nahiri to pilot a helicopter? The woman can barely drive a stick!" Sorin exclaimed.

"Apparently your late best man had given her flying lessons before his untimely death," Ula pointed out.

 _Oh, he was teaching her to fly alright,_ that irritating little voice laughed.

"So, you all have important roles," Ula stated. "Beleren will hack the fire alarms to evacuated most of the building, you'll be on crowd control with a sniper on the roof of the building across the street, Nahiri will be piloting a chopper, and Chandra will perform the extraction."

Sorin sighed. They all met up at Jace's old warehouse the next day. Jace and Chandra had been called ahead and were now setting things up. Vesper was with Avacyn and Thalia back at Sorin's so the girls could repay Jace for babysitting them years ago. Plus it would give them something do for the day. The others entered the warehouse and Kosi was setting up an interrogation room. Nahiri groaned and rolled her eyes.

"We're pulling one poor fool out of one nest of vipers and putting him in another," she grumbled to Sorin.

"Yeah, but we need the Senate for protection for our crimes," Sorin told her. "We're no saints, but we never devolved to torturing people for the fun of it. My grandfather, maybe. The psycho bitch he wanted me to marry: Definitely."

Nahiri snorted. "That Volderan woman was a real piece of work. I swear, she dyed her hair with the blood of virgins."

Sorin chuckled.

Jace and Chandra looked at them. "Okay," Jace began. "It was far from easy, but I managed to get the fire alarms. I will set them off when everyone is in position."

Sorin nodded. "Chandra, are you sure can you do this?" he asked.

"One: Do I have choice? And two: I've been rock climbing before; this will be a breeze," Chandra responded. "Just try not to shoot me or the poor fuck by accident."

"Relax Chandra, Sorin is a great sniper," Jace assured. "Besides…" He tossed Chandra a fancy, vintage pistol. "You'll be armed as well. Just as a little insurance."

Chandra smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now make Daddy proud." Jace looked nauseated saying that. "Well, that's something I'm never saying again. Ew, gross."

They all laughed.

"Yeah, please. For the love of everything in the world, don't," Sorin chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose. He then looked to Nahiri. "Are you sure you can fly though?"

Nahiri looked to him. "Ugin taught me how," she answered. Her eyes looked sad then. Sorin hugged her. After Nahiri had disappeared from sight and hopefully hearing range, Sorin had checked Ugin's broken body. Dead. Emeria was running up, carrying her rifle. Sorin glared her.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" he had shouted and shoved her into the snow. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO KILL HIM!"

"I'm sorry," she had apologized. "She pulled him and I my finger slipped!"

"Bullshit!" Sorin had snapped.

He sighed here and now, still holding Nahiri. She had her eyes squeezed shut, trying not to cry. She realized he was gone and that it was his corpse in Sorin's grave. But there was one thing that bothered, and she asked, "What happened to Ugin's share?"

"I gave it to his son Sarkhan, just as Ugin would have wanted," Sorin answered.

Nahiri nodded. "Good. Sarkhan got married you know," she told him. "To a lovely woman named Narset."

"Good; he's happy."

They had work to do, as Ula had annoyingly reminded them when he walked in. Everyone groaned in annoyance, stuck listening to him remind them as to why they were there. Nahiri gave him a cold, angry glare. She wanted to punch the smug bastard in the throat. She quickly picked up on who Emeria was: The one who killed Ugin. Yet strangely, she didn't hate her as much. Emeria had intended to kill Nahiri. Not Ugin. And Nahiri had pull him into the line of fire. She was just as much to blame. And Kosi: "Do not trust" may as well have been tattooed in big, neon colors across his forehead with a big red arrow pointing the words. Nahiri looked to everyone in the room. Only Jace and Chandra appeared to share her sentiment.

After Ula's long-winded speech, they split up. Jace went to his computer to work his magic. He put on a headset and brought up a computer game while he waited. Nahiri and Chandra got in one car to head to the helicopter that was being provided. Nahiri wanted to talk to Chandra woman to woman anyway. Sorin got in his car with a sniper rifle and went to his position. Chandra looked to Nahiri. Sorin had expressed concern about Nahiri's mental wellbeing, and here she was in the passenger's seat beside her.

"So, you're marrying Jace?" Nahiri asked, looking scarily calm.

"Yeah," Chandra answered.

"How did you meet?" Nahiri asked.

"Outside Dr. Alhammeret's office," Chandra answered. "He's our therapist, which is a requirement for changing genders. He was sitting there, waiting to be called in and I just got done. I thought he was so pretty and started flirting. Then he told me he was born a woman. Then I assured him that I didn't care because I was born a man."

Nahiri smiled. "I'm glad he's doing this," she told Chandra, "and that he has someone to go through it with him. He was always sick with depression as a teenager. He wanted to start changing so badly, but his uncle forbid it."

"Yeah, he told me about that," Chandra sighed. "Well, we dated, had sex. I warned him beforehand that I hadn't gotten the uh, genital work done, and he still had yet to be approved. _Still_ has yet to be approved. I wore a condom. It broke. And we got our beautiful baby."

"He's adorable," Nahiri complimented. "Your red hair and Jace's blue eyes make a wonderful, unique combination."

"I love that little bundle of adorable," Chandra chuckled.

"So, why none of the genital work?" Nahiri asked.

"Ugh, I had a botch boob job," Chandra answered. "My breasts came in too big and it hurt my back and people made fun of me for them. I had to have them reduced. The surgeon fucked it up and I had to go through two more surgeries to get it right!" She groaned. "Seriously! Why?! What did I do to deserve that?!" She laid back against the seat. "They're fine now, but still. It was embarrassing."

Nahiri put a hand on her shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. "You're here now. You made it."

Chandra smiled. They arrived at the helicopter. Nahiri got on her headset once buckled into the pilot's seat. Chandra got her tactical gear and a harness on. She got into the helicopter and took a deep breath. This was terrifying, especially when Nahiri shakily got them into the air. Jace came in over the headsets.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Nahiri answered.

"Ha, speak for yourself!" Chandra exclaimed nervously.

"I'm just a little rusty," Nahiri assured. "Fucking Christ, I wish Ugin was here. He was better at this."

"Well, he's not, and we have to make do," Sorin pointed out, voice dead serious. He had just gotten onto the roof and was set up. He found the room where the target was located. "I have Mizzix in my sight." He saw Nahiri approaching. "Center row, six floors down from the roof. The blinds are wide open, so spotting him shouldn't be hard at all. Nahiri, try to keep the chopper steady so Chandra can get where she needs to be."

Chandra looked out the side and down. "Little the right," she told Nahiri.

Nahiri nodded and eased over. Anymore and they'd be way off. Chandra hooked herself up and jumped out. She landed against a window to floors above and dropped down to the right floor, getting the attention of everyone in the room. There was a bald, dark-skinned man in the room with Mizzix. He looked up as the alarms went off. Chandra jumped back and swung into the room, smashing the window. She took out a gun and shot the enemy before grabbing Mizzix. More men came into the room, pistols in hand. Sorin took them out from afar. Chandra jumped out Mizzix.

"Now how do I get back up?" Chandra asked.

Jace's eye twitched.

"Make sure the target is secured to you," Nahiri answered. "There should be a button to pull you back up."

Chandra figured it out and they got into the chopper. Sorin evacuated his position. They all met back up at Jace's warehouse where he and the Senate agents were waiting. Ula and Kosi took Mizzix to the other room and tied him to a chair.

"Now what?" Sorin asked.

"Now, we interrogate him," Emeria answered.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Nahiri grumbled.

"Sorin, you're with me," Emeria pointed out.

"For what?" Sorin asked.

"We're going to kill the man Mizzix names," Emeria answered. "Nahiri, you help Ula and Kosi."

"I'm a blacksmith, not torturer," Nahiri snapped.

"Use your charm," Sorin suggested.

Nahiri groaned with a roll of her eyes. Jace and Chandra took off to check on Vesper and get him home and tucked in. Sorin and Emeria went out. They took Emeria's deep blue car, which had a pink sheen to it. Sorin wanted to laugh. It wasn't very professional for an agent of the Senate to have a pink sheen on an otherwise professional looking vehicle. Still, they got in and drove to the nearest coffee joint. They needed some caffeine.

"So, how has she been getting on?" Emeria asked.

"I was worried at first," Sorin answered, "but she seems to be doing okay." He glared at Emeria. "How long have you known she was alive and where she was living?"

"How long have you been in denial?" Emeria retorted. "Five years at this point. She's held up convenient stores, gas stations, and robbed people in alleyways to survive and add to her wealth. Five years ago, she opened up shop in Silmont's Crossing. Even hired Mr. Beleren's laid-off father to work for her."

"Jace's father?" Sorin asked.

"Yes; Mr. Beleren's family is still alive and they live out in Silmont's Crossing," Emeria responded. "We believe it's why Jace chose to live here in Ravnica. Close enough that he can keep better tabs on them, but far enough they don't know he's essentially living under their noses."

"Jace always wanted to meet his family," Sorin muttered. "But he was scared of what they would think of him and his life choices. He didn't choose to be a criminal. He was made that way."

"By his paternal uncle Tezzeret Beleren."

"Yeah."

"He'll be getting out soon. I'm worried he'll be more trouble than he's worth," Emeria pointed out.

"Jace was afraid of that," Sorin sighed. "He's never killed anyone as far as I know. He may have to get used to the fact he'll have to put a bullet in that psychotic fuck's brain."

Back at the warehouse, Nahiri was trying to seduce Mizzix into giving the information. He was surprisingly receptive. He gave a name, address, and physical description, to which Sorin put a bullet in the guy's head. Who knew if the guy was really a terrorist? But Sorin, Nahiri, Jace, and Chandra were still alive. Everything else was mere detail.

Sorin sighed…


	7. Chapter 6: Family Values

Avacyn looked in the mirror. Her hair was short and a bit fluffy with some curl. Her hair was never meant to be this short, but she wanted to get rid of the red and pink ends. The snowy white locks now fell to her shoulders where it curled, leaving the rest to poof out. She hugged her mother, thanking her for cutting her hair and getting rid of reds and pinks. Nahiri hugged back and kissed Avacyn's forehead. Nahiri loved the sense of belonging she was feeling here, and loved being around her daughters. They had both grown up so beautifully, being both smart and talented.

Avacyn would be graduating high school next month, but was uncertain of what she wanted to do with her life. Thalia would be starting her junior year and was planning on getting her driver's license soon. Both were on their school's fencing team and managed A's and B's on their report cards. Thalia's best friend was a sweet redhead with long, coppery hair named Grete Marshall, whose older brother, Odric, was currently attending the local police academy. That knowledge did make Sorin and Nahiri a little nervous, naturally. Grete also wanted to be a cop. She and Thalia were in the latter's room, chatting while Avacyn got her hair cut.

"So, your mom just showed up out of nowhere and it's possible Mr. Markov isn't your real dad?" Grete asked, head tilted to the side.

"Of course he's my real dad; he raised me," Thalia answered, putting her laundry away. "There's just a chance he's not biologically my dad."

"That sucks," Grete pointed out. "Have you ever met the other man?" she then questioned, laying on her stomach and arms folded in front of her.

"Yes; but he's dead," Thalia answered. "So, I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway."

"And your mom?" Grete asked.

"It's…Strange, to be honest," Thalia answered. "One minute, she's not there. Now it's like she's always been here. Nothing feels truly different, and she's easier to talk to about…Girl stuff." She giggled. "I remember when Avacyn got her first period and went crying to Dad, who passed out. We had to actually look up what was wrong."

Grete laughed.

Sorin was downstairs, looking at a menu for pizza delivery when there was a knock on the front door. He answered to Jace, Chandra, and little Vesper.

"Hey, come on in," Sorin greeted, moving aside.

"Mind if we crash here a few days?" Jace asked. "Tezzeret just got out of prison and I don't want to be at home right now. Kallist will be coming shortly."

"Sure. We have a guest room you three can stay in and Kal can sleep on the couch like always," Sorin answered.

"Thanks; I'll take Vesper and set up the crib then," Jace reported. He took some things upstairs to set up the guest room for Vesper. Avacyn saw Vesper and squealed in delight.

"Hey there, Vespy," she greeted. Vesper tottered over to her and she picked him up. "Oh! You're so cute!" She tickled him, making the toddler giggle and laugh.

"Avy so pwetty!" Vesper laughed.

Avacyn smiled and hugged him. She thought Vesper was the cutest little boy ever.

Kallist soon arrived. "Okay, that fuckface is still not in the city yet," he reported.

"Good; if he comes here, I'll shoot him," Sorin promised. "Never thought I'd see that fucker again." He, Kallist, and Chandra sat on the sectional in the living room. "Of course, I never thought I'd see a lot of people again. And hopefully my grandfather will croak before he finds my family and me."

Emeria walked in, grumbling.

"Do you knock?" Sorin asked, reaching for a bottle of red wine.

"I have Ula breathing down my neck, even more so since one of the Senate's projects was financially cut," Emeria answered. "He wants to continue the project even though I think it's a complete and utter waste of time. So, he wants me to find money to continue it, or he'll expose all of us and the police will be on our doorsteps."

"So he wants us to get the money for a waste of time project?" Sorin asked.

"I thought he'd back off once you helped with the terrorist issue, but no!" Emeria answered. "We'll all be behind bars and the children will be placed in foster care if we don't do what he says."

"We can't just hit up a bank and Sultai's is closed for a while," Sorin muttered. "We have to hit up something else."

"How much does he want? It'll give us an idea of where to hit," Jace questioned, entering the room with Nahiri.

"At least two million," Emeria answered.

Jace sat down and opened his laptop. "Sultai's was the only store that come close to that amount," he muttered. "And stores are easy targets. I'm hesitant to hit a bank in the city, and Karlov Bank is simply out of the question."

"We could do it though," Nahiri pointed out.

"If we had a pair of eyes on the inside, I'd say let's do it," Jace responded. "Sadly, we do not. Not even Sorin could get in. For now, let's focus on something in one of the smaller towns…"

* * *

Teysa Karlov lived a life of luxury with the finest clothes. She had a lovely, oval-shaped faced frame by two strands of hair that she had not pulled back into the messy bun, looking at her reflection with sharp, piercing grey eyes. Her skin was smooth and fair and her lips had a peach tone to them. She wore a white dress that fell to mid-thigh; a pair of Victorian style boots with black feet, white legs running up to just above the knee, and gold buttons; white fingerless gloves, and several piercings: One in her lower lip, one at her left eyebrow, and three in each ear. Her school would call her a troubled youth, except she had the best grades at the private school she attended, and took all advanced classes to boot.

She wanted to be a lawyer like her late mother, who died a few years ago in a staged car accident. With Teysa in the car with her! They were trying to leave the family home, trying to start a new life. Maria Karlov, maiden name Markov, had pretty much been sold to the Karlov family in an arranged marriage. She found nothing but abuse. She knew her son, Teysa's brother/cousin (ew!) was unsalvageable. He was a little prick who felt entitled because of his wealth, and to his sister/cousin's body ( _ **QUADRUPLE EW!**_ ). So, Maria and Teysa packed lightly, got a car, and tried to get away. Instead, they crashed and Maria died. Teysa's leg and been crushed and now it could barely move. She lost so much that day: Freedom, her mom, her leg…

With a sigh, she grabbed that stupid leg brace that was a constant reminder that she was not a free, independent woman. She knew it was the men in her life who stole those valuable things from her. Her grandfather, father, uncle, and brother. They were corrupted, vile men. She wanted no part of them. She finished strapping on the brace and adjusting the joints to work with the heels and stood, grabbing her cane. It was black wood with a silver cap. It helped with her movement. She could walk without it, but usually it caused more discomfort than anything and she liked to keep it close anyway.

There was a knock on her door. "Enter," she commanded.

Her brother entered, raising a brow. "You're really going out in such a short dress?" he asked.

She glared. "It falls past the tips of my middle fingers; it's fine," she answered coldly. She had no love for the men in life. They were sickening, following grotesque rituals, incest, and believed in keeping the blood as pure as possible to appease some non-existent deity. She was an atheist after all. Why believe something she couldn't experience with any of her five senses? "And I don't recall asking you for your opinion on my attire. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see a friend of mine…" She stepped around her brother, making sure to shoulder him rudely.

He grabbed her arm and jerked her back. "You're not going anywhere without apologizing."

"I see the little twat feels entitled as always," Teysa scoffed. "I owe you nothing. You're the rude one in this room." She smacked the back of his legs with her cane and continued on her way. High school was over for her after today, and she had no intentions of staying here. And she knew exactly where she was going. Over the last few months, she had taken what she deemed truly important to her to school and handed them off to someone she knew and trusted. He took everything to an apartment they were renting together. She grabbed her backpack and violin case for the last time she would leave this horrible place. Instead of text books, her backpack on books on law, her favorite trashy novels, her fancy writing supplies, and the rest of her undergarments. The violin case had money.

Starting next week, she'd be working at a coffee house while getting ready for college. The first year was paid for. Now Teysa had to be careful. She was dropped off at school as usual. Once the limo was gone, she went off campus and across the street where Tajic Boros was waiting. He pushed off his truck and grabbed the suitcase that was in back. He already had her violin at their apartment so she could keep practicing. They put her undergarments and books into the suitcase and he put it and the violin case in the backseat.

"Do they suspect anything?" he asked, voice deep.

"I don't think so," Teysa answered. "I'm 18 and am graduating high school. They can't really do anything now. Being here at school today is just a formality since it's a two-hour day where we say our goodbyes. But there's a few things in my locker that I need to get before we go. Can you wait a moment?"

Tajic nodded and kissed her softly with his rough, dry lips. Teysa kissed back. "Be careful," he told her.

Teysa nodded and hurried to the school. She had one last thing to get and she was out of here. She was done being the "good" girl. She had to get her mother's locket from her locker. Teysa wasn't sure why she left it there. Maybe because she didn't want her family to find out she had it. It was supposed to have been "buried" with her mother. Buried…What a joke! Her mother's corpse was sealed in an airtight coffin in the family vault at Karlov Bank! Maria had wanted to be cremated. Once she grabbed her school supplies from her locker, she grabbed her secret treasure box and pulled out the gold locket with the Markov family crest, a red stone in the center. Once opened, Teysa saw her picture and the picture of her maternal uncle, the only ones who truly mattered to Maria.

 _I promise you, Mother, I will find a way to destroy the men who destroyed our lives,_ Teysa silently vowed. She put the locket on and grabbed her bag. She looked around.

A few students had bothered to show up. Mostly the freshmen who were still enamored by the fantasy of high school. The illusion would break sometime next year. That was how it worked. Freshman year: Oh my goodness! We're in high school! This is awesome! This will be the start of the first year of the best four years of our lives! Sophomore year: Oh my god, this is horrible! Junior year: Sweet 16 here I-. OH GOD NO! NOT THESE POINTLESS-ASS EXAMS! Senior year: Finally, Senior Year! All the best dances are here and now! But seriously, is high school over yet? PLEASE END!

Unless you were popular, high school sucked. Teysa didn't care about popularity. However, she was ambitious and had more important matters to attend to: Student council, orchestra, and debate team. She wanted so badly to be on the girl's tennis team, but thanks to her family, she would never play sports. At least she didn't have to waste time on PE. With a sigh, she departed the school and went to Tajic. After putting her backpack in the backseat, they got in and were off. She sighed, relaxing.

"Glad to finally be leaving?" Tajic asked.

"More than glad," Teysa answered. "Maybe someday, I'll find a way to expose my family for the crooks they are and leave them in ruin."

Tajic nodded.

* * *

Jace had wanted to avoid Silmont's Crossing. He wasn't ready to face his family. Would they accept him? Would they approve? Would he find nothing but disappointment? He knew that's not why they were in Silmont's Crossing, but with the size of the community, there was a chance for encountering them. Maybe he could warn them to leave town for a few weeks. He knew they had money and could go on vacation for a while. He fidgeted. He hated this. Chandra saw him fidgeting and grabbed a hand, and gave it a gentle, hopefully reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"What's bugging you?" she asked.

"My family is here," he answered. "What if they were expecting to see a beautiful young woman and are shocked and horrified to see a man instead? What if they hate me and are disappointed in me for my choices in life and the things I've done?"

"Then you don't need them," Kallist pointed out. "Move on with your life. If they can't love and accept you for you, then they don't deserve to be a part of your life." He was up front driving, his girlfriend Liliana in the passenger's seat, and the small family of three occupying the back seat. Little Vesper was napping in his car seat. In the car behind them was Sorin and his daughters. Nahiri brought up the rear on her motorcycle.

It was Nahiri who suggested they leave Ravnica for a few days, especially when Jace informed them that Edgar Markov had sent spies to Ravnica to look for them. The Markov spies and Tezzeret. All in the same town. It terrified them. So, it was time for a road trip. Nahiri had called ahead to have a few rooms set up at the local resort for her friends and her. She didn't want Sorin or the girls at her place. She didn't trust Akyli to behave. From the resort, they had access to the beach. Thalia and Avacyn got into bathing suits and went swimming in the lake. They took little Vesper along, keeping a sharp eye on him and making sure his floaties were secure. Avacyn did most of the babysitting. Liliana only joined them for sunbathing. Everyone else went to Nahiri's factory.

There, Jace saw his father working. Nahiri looked at Gav Beleren working hard, then to Jace. He wanted so badly to talk to his father, but those heart wrenching questions burned in his mind. Chandra slung an arm around him and asked, "You okay?"

"That's my dad," Jace answered softly, making Chandra turn her gaze. "I don't know what he'll think of me. What if he's ashamed of me?" He felt sick to his stomach and just wanted to move on. His father probably wanted a beautiful daughter with a beaming baby in her arms. Not…Whatever Jace was. _A hot mess,_ he decided.

"Want me to try and smooth thing over?" Nahiri asked.

"I dunno," Jace mumbled, looking down. His anxiety was building. "Let's just go plan the job to get the money Mr. Douchecanoe wants for his precious weapons." He finally walked past to Nahiri's office. Chandra looked between the office door and Gav. She'd talk to him on the way out, and then went to the office with the others.

Jace started setting up the bulletin board. "Silmont's Bank; small, local place."

"Local police force's piggy bank," Nahiri added. "So I would expect heavy opposition from the local authorities."

"An escape route would be ideal then," Sorin pointed out.

"Not too hard out here," Nahiri assured. "Lots of open land to the south and plenty of tunnels to lose the authorities in. To the north, we have the mountains and forests and the wildlife preserve. Gruul National Park."

"Sounds good," Jace responded. "Now we need to scout the bank properly."

"I'll take us there," Nahiri reported. They went back to the van.

Chandra sighed. _On my way out next time,_ she decided, following. They drove to the front of the building and Nahiri went in, armed with Jace's special glasses. She chatted with a teller, making a withdrawal her personal account and making up an excuse for her glasses. Jace took pictures of everything that was deemed important. Nahiri soon rejoined them and handed the glasses back to Jace.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"Well, the security system is a little old fashion, not something easily hacked," Jace answered, going through the photos on his laptop. He sighed. "I need to know the response time. We have to set off the alarm. There should be a box for that around back…"

Nahiri drove out around back, and there was the box.

"Sorin, do you have a silencer?" Jace asked.

"Always," Sorin replied. He looked to Jace. "Want me to shoot the box?" he asked.

"Please and thank you."

Sorin took out a silencer and attached it to his pistol. He aimed carefully, and fired. The bullet set off the alarm and Nahiri drove back around to see the local police coming in force. Immediate talk of road block check points went up and a chopper came in. Nahiri drove as calmly as possible to an off-road location avoid the authorities.

"Okay, that's a real load of shit," Kallist pointed out.

"Oh, ya think?" Chandra responded.

Jace groaned. "Then there's really only one way to do this," he grumbled. "With swat team gear and miniguns. I really want to avoid casualties, especially this close to my family."

"But it's the only way to make it out alive," Sorin growled.

"But can it be done?" Kallist asked. "That's the million dollar question, and a damn important one too, since we're not keeping the money. We need to come out of this alive and hopefully not in prison."

"If we plan it right, we can catch a train out of town," Nahiri answered. "The tracks run up through Gruul National Park; I have friend there that can help us."

"Then we'll need to talk to him," Jace pointed out. "Would he be willing to risk it though?" he asked, looking at her with a dead serious expression.

"Domri and his older brothers Ruric and Thar don't give a shit about the police, government, or anything like that," Nahiri answered. "We can trust them."

Jace nodded. "Okay then."

They sat in the car until after sunset before daring to go back to town. Things finally calmed down and they went straight to Nahiri's factory. Everyone had gone home for the night, making Chandra groan. She had really wanted to talk to Gav about Jace, who was now currently tacking up info to the board. He and Nahiri planned to head out and talk to the Rade brothers in the national park first thing in the morning. Sorin wanted to relax on the beach and Kallist wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. So, that left Chandra, basically alone. Thinking on it, she decided to go talk to the Beleren's, see where they stood.

She woke up at ten. Avacyn and Thalia had Vesper again. That would kind of make it easier. She got the Beleren's address from Jace's address book. She smiled. Jace loved being old fashioned sometimes. She grabbed a few others things she had brought from the house. A photo album of Jace, Kallist, her, and Vesper. With the info, she went Blue Ring Court.

The house was a lovely, light blue place with a white picket fence, almost similar to hers and Jace's. That was almost odd. It meant Jace bought the house out of instinct, but he had been four when he was stolen away, wrapped up in his favorite hoodie with the initials RR sewn into inside the bottom hem in white thread. Kallist was a year older. Neither remembered their childhood home before. There were white and blue flowers in beautiful planters, a swing hanging from a tree branch, and plenty of in season blueberry plants. Chandra went up to the front door and rang the doorbell. She waited. Maybe no one was home. Maybe-. The door opened.

The woman who answered was almost as willowy as Nissa, though shorter. Of course, Nissa wasn't that tall herself. The woman's hair was a light, almost silvery blond, pinned up in a messy bun and she had kind, loving eyes a few shades lighter than Jace's. They were closer to Kallist's eyes. She had lines around her eyes and a few above her silvery brows. They were lines of worry and stress, and she had allowed things to progress naturally rather than try to slow the inevitable. And yet, she seemed far too young to be so close to grey and with so many lines. She dress in a loose, white tank top with a long, blue, knitted duster; a pair of black pants (trousers, but softer), and a pair of black flats.

"Yes? Can I help you?" she asked.

"Are you Ranna Beleren?" Chandra responded.

"Yes; and you are?"

"I'm Chandra Nalaar, and I have to talk to you about…Well. It's really complicated and hard to talk about," Chandra pointed out. "But I have legit information on your…Daughter, and your nephew."

Ranna's eyes widened. "I-. Are you serious?" she asked.

"I can show you, but some of it will be pretty unbelievable," Chandra answered, "and I was there for some of it."

"Well, come in! Please!" Ranna exclaimed.

They went inside to the living room. There were lots of pictures of the family around, including two people similar in appearance to Jace and Kallist. One was definitely and older young man and the other was a very masculine young woman. Chandra picked up a picture of the obvious siblings. "Who are these two?" she asked.

"Jek and Lavinia Rhoka; they're Kallist's older brother and younger sister," Ranna answered. Chandra put the picture back and sat beside her on the sofa. She pulled out the photo album she brought.

"This one will have the most answers," Chandra pointed out. "It's going to tell you the most about the four of us."

"Four?" Ranna asked.

"Yeah; it'll be complicated," Chandra answered. She opened to a photo of Jace and Kallist at 16 and 17, wearing wintry clothes. Jace was a beautiful young woman in the photo with a long, loose braid over her shoulder and Kallist was making a stupid face. "That was the day they put their kidnapper in jail," Chandra explained. She wanted to play it by ear, see if Ranna knew about Tezzeret.

"Why weren't they brought home?" Ranna asked.

"They were pretty freaked out and Kallist was a month from 18; there was a lot of uncertainties," Chandra answered. She moved to the next page. Jace had cut off her braid and donated it to charity. His first step to becoming what he wanted. Her hair was now boyish.

"Oh, she cut her hair," Ranna sighed.

"And donated it to charity," Chandra pointed out, and flipped the page again. "After that, Jace and Kallist moved to Ravnica. Kallist continued with an excitable life while Jace bought a house with the money made from being forced into criminal activity. Jace is an amazing hacker." Chandra was trying to avoid gender pronouns.

"Jace is a hacker?" Ranna asked, shocked.

"Not by choice, but yeah," Chandra answered. "This next part is going to be shocking, and I'm not sure how you'll handle it." She turned the page. "Jace is transgendered."

"That, I didn't see coming," Ranna muttered.

"Well, it's been over twenty years…" Chandra sighed, "…and I'm transgendered." She turned the page to her and Jace's first date. "He was always flat-chested, so, that made things easier for him at the start. We met at therapy, I thought he was cute, I flirted, he told me he was born a woman, I replied that I was born a man, we chatted, our therapist said we were a cute couple, we exchanged numbers, and then exchanged stories over a dinner date." She took a deep breath. "Of course, neither of us have had the…Big works done despite me being trans longer."

Ranna raised a brow at her.

"Bad boob job freaked me out," Chandra answered. "But in the end, we were both glad it work out that way. Because one broken condom and nine months later…" She turned the page to Vesper, and Ranna made a sound of: "OH MY GOD SO CUTE!" She had tears in her eyes.

"Who is he?" Ranna cried.

"Vesper Beleren," Chandra replied. "Our beautiful little baby."

"Oh, he's so beautiful," Ranna sobbed, wiping away tears.

They continued through the album, and Ranna really wanted to meet her son and grandson. "Jace won't be back in town until late," Chandra pointed out. "But Vesper is at the beach with two young ladies that Jace used to babysit."

"I have to meet him," Ranna sighed.

"I'll take you there."


	8. Chapter 7: Family Reunited

When Jace and Nahiri got back, it around nine at night and both were tired and car weary. They just wanted to flop into and sleep. When Jace entered his room, he barely noticed the woman on the sofa with Chandra. When he noticed her out of the corner of his eye, he paused and looked at her. Ranna was there, holding a sleepy Vesper, and smiling. She looked warm and inviting, and had tears welling up in her eyes. Jace was frozen to his spot, not sure what to say or do. Ranna passed Vesper to Chandra and slowly got up. She didn't want to spook Jace. Chandra had warned that he could sometimes be paranoid and emotionally unstable. She opened her arms to him, inviting him in for a hug. Shyly, Jace went up and hugged her, and Ranna wrapped her arms around him. It took a moment, but it clicked. This was his mother.

"My baby boy, all grown up," she whispered.

She said "baby boy." Did that mean she accepted him? They started crying. Chandra took Vesper and put him to bed. He was tired and had had a long day. Besides, Jace and Ranna needed some time alone. They pulled away, wiping away tears before moving to the sofa to sit down. Jace's leg bounced. What did he tell her? She clearly knew he was transgendered and had to know Chandra was as well. What else did she know though? Did she know about his criminal lifestyle? He fidgeted a little. He was nervous. Ranna took his hands in hers, making him look up into her blue eyes. She was being kind and gentle with him.

"You don't have to be nervous," she assured him. "Just talk to me and I'll listen."

Jace nodded. "Well, what has Chandra told you?" he asked.

"Quite a lot, and that it was Tezzeret who stole you and Kallist," Ranna answered, "and that you're here on business."

"Yeah, the Azorius Senate's federal agency branch wants money and are blackmailing us with prison and taking away our families," Jace answered. "They're even doing it to one of their own, the one connected to Sorin." He looked down. "I know Jek is a cop here. Is there any way we can make him not be here? I'm scared he'll get killed. Hell, he probably will if he shows up at the bank."

"We'll have to talk to him," Ranna answered. "None of us have work tomorrow. Why don't you come over for supper? You, Kallist, Chandra, Liliana, and your adorable little baby. I want to play with my grandson."

"But Father…"

"He'll be upset for sure, but he always wanted a son," Ranna pointed out.

Jace nodded. "I hope you're right…I saw him at Nahiri's factory yesterday, and I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to talk to him, but at the same time, I know a lot of people still have problems with…People like me. I lost my nerve. I felt he would never accept me."

Ranna hugged her son close. "With time, he will. You're the only child he'll ever have."

"Wait, why?" Jace asked.

"As a baby, you were always sick, which caused so much stress to the point where I actually had a miscarriage," Ranna answered. "We stopped trying after that, and then you were stolen from us. It didn't help. Damn Tezzeret. He ruined all of our lives."

Jace let her cry on his shoulder, feeling his tears come back as well. He sniffled, squeezing his eyes shut to keep from crying. He couldn't believe he was being accepted by his mother, but that was replaced with a thought of: _Why didn't I come to her sooner?_ Finally, he broke, crying with his mother as they hugged. They waited years for this moment.

Chandra smiled at them, now watching from the bedroom door.

Dinner with their family. It was admittedly scary to Kallist. He hadn't seen his father since he was five. Over twenty-five long years. He didn't even know he had a little sister! She hadn't even been born yet! Ranna answered the door and hugged Jace and Kallist. It was a warm, welcoming embrace, and Kallist smiled and hugged back. His aunt was a kind woman. She led them into the living room, Liliana and Chandra following and the latter holding little Vesper. There was a banner that said "Welcome Home, Jace and Kallist." Was this what it was like to have a family? Venser stood, smiling. Despite being only a few years older than Ranna, he had no grey in his hair yet, but they had the same blue eyes, Kallist's eyes.

Kallist and Venser embraced. Jek and young, high school graduate Lavinia came. Lavinia was nervous, but she hugged Kallist. She got another big brother. He hugged back. He was feeling completed. This was his family. His father and siblings.

Jace looked to his father. This was the scary part. Too many were the parents who turned their children away for this. He felt a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked to Chandra. She smiled brightly at him reassuring him it was alright. Even if Gav shut Jace out, he still had her, had Vesper, had Kallist, and had a mother, all of whom loved him no matter what. Taking a deep breath, Jace went over to Gav.

Gav looked at Jace with a careful eye. There was an eyepatch from when he lost one in an accident at his old job. The one that remained was brown, but he had the same dark hair as Jace, and the same angled, rectangular shaped face. He had more muscle, stronger shoulders, and stood an inch taller. He had decided to dress nicely in a clean white polo, black trousers, and had cleaned his good boots. He had even combed his dark hair. The brown eye that took in Jace showed no hate or disgust, and he hoped it never would. Soon came a surprise: An embrace.

Tears welled up, and Jace slowly, cautiously, hugged back. "Father," he whispered.

Chandra came forward with Vesper. Gav looked at the beautiful toddler. Fiery hair and Jace's perfect blue eyes. Gav took him, looking at him with joy. Vesper smiled. "A you my ganpa?" he asked cutely.

Ranna squealed in delight, hands going to her heart. "Oh, my goodness! So cute!" she cried.

"I'm cute!" Vesper cheered.

Chandra snorted. "Little trouble maker too," she added. "Refuses to sit still and throws his spaghetti everywhere!"

"Saghetti ucky!" Vesper protested. "No saghetti! Want cuwy!"

Chandra groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Cuwy?" Gav asked.

"Curry; he can't say R's right quite yet," Jace answered.

Ranna giggled. "Vesper, can you say Ranna?" she asked.

"Anna," Vesper replied.

"Good enough," Ranna giggled. "But we're not have spaghetti tonight, thankfully. I spent all day cooking meat loaf, mashes potatoes, and creamy corn. I also have some biscuits in the oven and butter at room temp. I also fried some chicken strips for Chandra."

"That sounds amazing," Jace pointed out.

"Thank you!" Chandra cheered. "It's not that I hate beef, I just can't eat cows."

"Problem with red meat?" Gav asked.

"I'm not a religious person, but I'm Kaladeshi and can't really eat cows," Chandra answered. "So, blame my parents for drilling that into my head."

"It's why I'm glad most places offer something other than beef," Jace sighed. "Pork, boar, and venison are fine though."

They sat at the long dining room table where the food was. Ranna brought a bread basket full of biscuits, steaming wafting up from them. Chandra had Vesper between her and Ranna and was chopping up chicken strips and a bit of meat loaf for him. Vesper looked down excitedly at his plate. It would go down easily. Ranna provided a juice box. Jace sat on Chandra's other side. Gav and Venser sat at the ends of the table and Jek, Lavinia, Kallist, and Liliana sat on the other side of the table. Jace and Venser started talking about mechanics and technology. Finally, Gav sighed. He had to ask.

"Whatever happened to Tezzeret?" he questioned.

"He spent the last decade in jail," Jace answered. "He got out a few days ago however." He started fidgeting. Thinking about his uncle tracking him down and looking for him. "Kal and I set him up. Kal went with him to rob a bank, but Kal had a wire on him. So, Tezzeret got busted and went to prison."

"The set up was Jace's idea," Kallist pointed out. "He's a genius."

"Albeit scatterbrained," Chandra muttered.

Jace smiled at her, and she smirked back at him.

"So you're both transgender?" Jek asked.

Jace and Chandra looked at him. "Yeah," the replied.

Jek looked between the two. Jace looked more obvious, as there were things that hadn't developed. Chandra was far from obvious.

"Yeah, I started this before I hit puberty," Chandra pointed out.

"I started well after when I was 18," Jace added, "and even now, I still have problems."

"Aunt Ranna said you met at therapy?" Jek asked.

Chandra, Jace, and Kallist recounted their stories, and then explained what they were being forced to do. They asked Jek to take a vacation. Jek felt uncomfortable with this.

"We wouldn't ask this of you if we didn't care," Kallist pointed out. "You're my brother, and I want to get to know all of my family."

Jek sighed. "Fine. I'll take a vacation this year."

"Finally," Venser muttered. "He has so much vacation time accumulated, it's not even funny. He needed a little incentive to take time off. He works too much!"

Jek glared at his father. "Yes, tell them more about my work habits," he chided. "I'll tell my partner to take some time off too. He works as hard as I do…"

Avacyn and Thalia were at a little café the next morning, drinking fancy tea and enjoying muffins. Then a good looking man walked in. Thalia leaned over to Avacyn. "Big, buff beefcake ten o'clock," she told her sister.

"Ugh, mine!" Thalia hissed.

Avacyn looked over to the counter and saw six feet and five inches of hard muscle, olive skin, and a kind face chiseled by the ancient Therosan gods. His dark hair fell to his shoulder and was combed back into a low horsetail; striking blue and gold eyes with bits of green, and a khaki police uniform. Avacyn's and Thalia's jaws dropped, eyes going wide.

"Oh, my gawd," Avacyn gasped. "I think my heart just stopped."

"He's gor-ge-ous!" Thalia agreed.

"He is perfection…" Avacyn sighed.

The man was about to order, but the woman at the counter held up a cup of coffee and a lemon-poppy seed muffin. He thanked her and paid. This told Avacyn that this was a routine. The young officer took a seat by the window, grabbing a newspaper along the way. He read the paper and drank his coffee, taking a bite of his muffin every so often. Avacyn watched him, tempted to go over to him.

"Go talk to him," Thalia hissed.

"I don't know," Avacyn muttered. "He's clearly more than five years older than me. What would I say? I'd probably just end up giggling like a dumb school girl!"

"You will not," Thalia assured. "Now go talk to him before I start kicking you."

Avacyn groaned and got up. She quickly fixed her black pencil skirt and brushed the muffin crumbs from the frills of her white shirt that was worn under a black vest. She nervously went over to the young officer and asked, "Is this seat taken?" It referred to the one across from the young cop, who looked up from his paper. Thalia facepalmed, groaning. She couldn't come up with a better way to break the ice?! It was so obvious the seat was open! Not to mention the other available seats!

"Yes ma'am," the officer answered with a charming smile.

Avacyn felt like she was melting and carefully sat.

"Before you say anything, may I inquire your age? You seem very young," the officer pointed out.

"I just turned eighteen," Avacyn n answered softly, her voice like a dove. She was nervous.

"Ah, I'm twenty-four," the officer explained. "I actually heard you and your sister whispering."

"Oh, sorry," Avacyn muttered. "I'll just go then." She stood and moved back to hers and Thalia's table. The perfect man. _Oh well, it would never work out anyway,_ she thought. _After all, he's a cop, and I'm the daughter of two criminals. And he might be dead in a few days anyway…_ It was a hard, shocking reality. She was not blind to her family's plans, and she did include Jace, Chandra, and Kallist in that circle of family. She remembered the times when she was small, and under Jace's care.

She remembered Jace, then a woman, looking at her computer screen intently, wondering if Sorin, Nahiri, Ugin, Kallist, and Tezzeret would come back from a heist. Jace, looked exhausted and drained, had picked little Avacyn up and put her on her lap, hugging her close, trying to shield her from bitter reality. Avacyn liked the color pink back then. She enjoyed wearing pink dresses with frills and lace and ribbons. When had that changed? When did she go from frilly pink dresses, dolls, and innocence to the woman she is now? The frills on her shirt weren't there for being fancy or a pretty doll. They were a fashion statement, and Thalia had insisted they looked good.

 _Thalia wants to bring frilly shirts and cravats,_ Avacyn thought to herself, sipping the lavender tea she ordered. It was smooth flavor and calmed her. Suddenly, she just wanted to be out of there, to go somewhere else and think. She didn't have any plans, no dreams, nothing. Thalia knew what she wanted, where she wanted to go with her life. She wanted to design clothes and show them off to the world, and then start charities to bring provide proper clothes to people who need more and better clothes and shoes on their bare, sore feet. That was a dream worth fighting for. Avacyn had nothing! She got up and walked out of the café, ignoring Thalia's calls. She needed to walk, think, breathe, think, try to find herself…Who was she?!

THINK!

* * *

Sorin inhaled deeply, and the released a deep, long breath. The tactical gear and miniguns were ready, and heavy. But it would get them past police and their helicopters. Officers Jek Rhoka and Gideon Jura were on vacation and had left town for a few days. The Beleren-Rhoka family went to Jace and Chandra's house in the city, and going there excited Lavinia. Avacyn, Thalia, and Vesper had gone with them. So, everyone who was in the most immediate danger would not be in Silmont's Crossing for a few days. Maybe a week or two. Jace was getting ready to hack the security system at Silmont's Bank. Sorin looked to Chandra, Kallist, and Nahiri. Almost just like old times, except it would have been Ugin in Chandra's place. They were getting ready, their crazy masks in hand. Nahiri went over and helped pin up Chandra's hair and get it under a wig cap. Chandra returned the favor.

"Sorin? Are you okay?" Jace asked, looking to him.

"Honestly? No," Sorin answered. "I'm freaking out. This can go horribly wrong. I'm not ready for this. And I know what you're going to say: Too late for cold feet. We're in too deep to go back now. Or some bullshit cliché line like that. I don't give a fuck. Let's me be worried."

Jace nodded. "I actually wasn't going to say a thing to that effect," he pointed out. "I know you're feeling sick to your stomach over this. I can see it."

"Then why did you even ask if I was okay?" Sorin demanded.

"Because sometimes you just need to say it, and the others need to know they're not alone in their fear-fueled nausea," Jace responded.

Sorin turned to the others. They were looking at him with wide eyes, knowing him previously as a man of confidence. Now they saw Sorin's fear firsthand and felt…Relief. He went and embraced his wife, kissing her cheek to comfort her. She returned the small favor. He needed as much comfort as she. Jace, Chandra, and Kallist hugged, foreheads pressed together. Sorin and Nahiri joined in. The five of them were a family. Together, they were strong and they trusted each other. With a deep breath, they pulled apart and finished preparing. They were ready for this. This was going to be Hell.

Jace put on his headset and went to work. He was ready to disable those alarms to give his family a window. He chugged some coffee, focus. Kallist drove a van with the tactical gear in the back. He would bring it in while Nahiri and Chandra were on crowd control. Sorin would getting the vault open. Once at the bank, Jace disabled the alarms. Nahiri and Chandra went, letting off warning shots. Sorin grabbed a clerk and hauled her into the back to get the vault open while Chandra and Nahiri zip-tied the crowd and herded them into a close. Sorin came back and passed the woman to Nahiri. She bound the clerk and put her in the closet. Kallist hauled the rest of the tactical gear inside. Things were going smoothly.

"Thirty seconds," Jace warned the group.

After hauling their gear and miniguns inside, the four loaded up on the cash. They hurriedly shoved the wads into their bags. They could not lose a single dime. Just like a decade ago, Nahiri was drawn to the safety security boxes. She huffed and turned back to the money. It wasn't worth it. Not last time. Not this time. Not ever. Sorin was proud of her. She hadn't let greed get ahold of her.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

The alarms went off. Time was up. They finished stuffing their bags and hurriedly got into their gear. This would protect them from most of the fire and hopefully the crazies in the helicopter. They heard said chopper outside and the chief of police calling out to them. The cops were in for a real surprise, and their stomachs dropped when they saw the miniguns. The four unleashed a hailstorm of bullets on the local police, causing chaos and mayhem as they slowly made their way to the train station. The cargo train would be arriving in an hour, and people were quickly getting to cover. Jace was already making his way to the watchtower by the tracks in Gruul National Park. Emeria was on her way with Kozilek.

People were screaming.

It was a sound that rang in Chandra's ear. She saw people fleeing for their lives, mothers grabbing their children, cars crashing into one another. She looked to the southeast where the helicopter Nahiri shot down crashed. Four police officers dead. How many civilians? This was fucked up. But it was survival, and those insane fucks at the Senate's federal branch would fuck them over if they failed. Chandra forced the thoughts of who was dead, who was hurt, and who escaped from her mind. Right now, her survival was top priority. And right now, they had to hold their position until the train stopped.

A sharp whistle sounded. The train was finally coming. She hoped it would stop. The train slowed, and stopped at the station. The cargo cars that were to be loaded opened, and Nahiri stopped one from being slammed shut. She shouted for the others to follow. Sorin got on, pulling Kallist on behind him. Chandra ran as fast as she could. The train doors were closed except the one. Sorin and Kallist reached for her. Nahiri provided cover fire. The train started moving. Chandra reached out and took Sorin's and Kallist's hands. They pulled her as the train started moving toward the wall. They jerked hard, pulling Chandra in. They tumbled to the floor.

"Holy fuck!" Sorin gasped.

Nahiri quickly got the door shut, turning and slamming against it. She removed her help, gasping for breath. She started giggling. "Yeah, holy shit." She made a sound, slowly coming off the adrenaline. "I'm getting too old for this," she squeaked.

"Ha!" Kallist laughed. He looked to Chandra and asked, "You okay?"

Chandra pulled off her helmet. "Hell no," she answered. "Half of that was exciting, sure, but the other half was horrible. I started thinking: How many are dead because of me? How many people did we hurt? How many did we screw over? I wanted to just stop."

Nahiri went over and hugged her. "I know that feeling. I was there a long time ago. But I always had to put my survival first, especially if I wanted to stay with my husband and look after my daughters."

Chandra looked at her.

"My grandfather hates Nahiri with a burning passion," Sorin pointed out. "All the more reason for the bastard to croak." He sat on a crate.

The train was moving slowly to maintain its schedule, so the group was in that car for hours. They packed their gear. Once they were near their destination, the opened the car door and saw the flare light, which showed where they were jumping at. They tossed the bags at the site and jumped a moment after. The Rade brothers loaded the weapons and gear up into a van. Kozilek was collecting the money bags. Emeria and Jace walked up.

"Well done," Emeria congratulated. "You went above and beyond."

"I take it we won't be seeing a dime of that," Kallist grumbled.

"I doubt it," Emeria responded. "For now though, we've bought ourselves precious time."

"Until what?" Sorin asked.

"Before Ulamog decides he's had enough and throws us all in prison," Emeria answered. "I'll take whatever time I can get. Hopefully soon, he might finally lay off." Sighing, she added, "But don't hold your breath."

"We weren't planning on it," Sorin pointed out.

They celebrated, more or less, at Sorin's place back in Ravnica. No one turned on the news. Too…Too dangerous to everyone's minds and emotions. Ranna and Gav were fussing over Vesper, who was enjoying the attention. He was getting four years' worth of presents from his grandparents. He squealed in delight and played with all of his new toys. At one point, Ranna curled up with him to try and teach him to read. He was eager to start learning. Jace and Chandra scooped up the toys. Then the doorbell rang. Sorin answered to a woman a few years his junior. She had auburn hair streaked with grey, worn in a messy braid. Behind her was two others: A young man of 18 and two old women with grey hair. One wore teal and the other was in red.

"Can I help you?" Sorin asked.

"Is Chandra here?" the redheaded woman asked.

"She is," Sorin answered.

"I'm her mother, Pia," the woman explained.

"Oh, please come in!" Sorin exclaimed, moving aside.

Pia smiled and she entered. Chandra looked up from the toys and her eyes went wide. "MOM!" she cheered, running past everyone to hug her mother. Pia hugged back.

"Hello baby girl," Pia responded, hugging Chandra tight.

"You weren't supposed to get out for another month!

"Well, surprise!"

Chandra laughed. She hugged her little brother Brannon and her grandmothers Luti and Oviya Pashiri. She quickly went about introducing them to Jace's family. To hers and Jace's delight, they got along, what with Pia and Oviya being mechanics and engineers, and Luti being a retired nurse. Brannon was planning to go to school for engineering. Sorin smiled, hugging his wife close. Everything was going fine until…

 _DING-DONG!_

 _Now who?_ Sorin wondered. He went to the front door and opened it. If his skin could turn any whiter, it probably would have, as he was staring into a pair of cold, calculating, evil eyes.

"Sorin, my boy! It's good to see you again," greeted Edgar Markov.


	9. Chapter 8: We're a Family

Sorin felt sick to his stomach. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. No one needed to hear or see a thing, least of all Nahiri and the girls. "What are you doing here?" he demanded coldly, hands balled into fists. His eyes were hard and, hopefully, terrifying. He wanted Edgar to think twice before he did something they would regret. Sorin had planned on never seeing the wretch again, and planned to dance on his grave. And sure enough, there were that redheaded tramp he enjoyed keeping around, the one he continuously tried to force on Sorin, to make him marry her, Olivia Volderan.

"Sorin," Edgar snapped, and then coughed horribly.

 _Dear gods, why hasn't the cigars and vodka killed him yet?_ Sorin wondered bitterly.

"Is that any way to talk to your grandfather after all these years?" Edgar demanded. "You and my beautiful granddaughters just up and left. No notes, no goodbye, no phone calls or anything!" He coughed again. "You abandoned me in my frail state. Thank goodness for sweet Olivia here. She stayed through no obligation! You could learn a thing or two from her."

Sorin refrained from rolling his eyes and held his tongue. He knew how his grandfather would respond: A swift whack from that cane of his. Most likely to the leg. It was a miracle that Edgar didn't hit Sorin for snapping at him just now.

"Now then, I haven't got much time left I'm afraid," Edgar pointed out, and looked to Sorin. He raised his cane to point at him. "And it's high time you took things seriously. I want to inherit my empire. It's also time you remarried and had a son. Olivia is a fine choice."

"Newsflash old man: I'm still married. Nahiri never died," Sorin explained, "and I'm not leaving her ever again."

Olivia scoffed.

"You will leave her and the girls," Edgar ordered, "and you will come back to Innistrad and lead the family." He grabbed Sorin's shoulder. "You will also marry Olivia and get to work on having a son with her."

"Indeed; I do not have forever to have children," Olivia sighed dramatically.

"You have a month to say goodbye, otherwise, I will make things very uncomfortable for you and your friends," Edgar pointed out. He and Olivia got in the limo. One of the guards handed Sorin information on where they were staying.

Chandra, Jace, and Nahiri stepped out, watching as the limo pulled out. "Was that…?" Nahiri started asking.

"It was," Sorin answered coldly. "He's finally found us."

"What did he want?" she asked.

"To leave you, the girls, and Ravnica and to go back to Innistrad to marry Olivia Volderan," Sorin replied.

"The cheap hussy?" Jace mumbled.

"Um, wow," Chandra commented, looking at Jace. He had never said anything like that before.

"Sorry, but it's true," Jace pointed out. "She always had someone in her bed, male or female. Oh, she's also a porn star and has twenty tapes out. She even posted them on the internet behind her company's back to make extra money."

"The fact that you know that," Chandra muttered.

"Hey, I had to deal with her a lot," Jace told her. "It's my job to be in people's business."

"So what do we do now?" Nahiri asked Sorin, worried.

"He's given me month and then he'll make all of our lives uncomfortable," Sorin answered. "I need to think. We need-."

Another car pulled up.

"Oh, now what?" Sorin grumbled.

Ulamog got out, walking over to them with Emeria on his heels. "So, I got interesting news," he started. "People in the senate don't like how I run things. And some little fuck decided that they're going to try and blackmail me." He got close to Sorin. "The evidence of my 'crimes' is on a hard drive in the Azorius Senate building, which those hacks at the Orzhov Syndicate are watching like a hawk from their office windows."

"So what do you want us to do about it?" Sorin asked, getting sick of people being in his face. He really, truly, deeply wanted to strangle Ulamog.

"Get your friends, break into the building, and steal that hard drive," Ulamog answered. "Simple as that."

"You want us to break into the Azorius Senate building, go to some random floor, and steal some little shit's computer from the most secure location in Ravnica? Have you lost all sense in that tiny brain of yours?"

"You wanna go?" Ulamog challenged.

Jace quickly got between them. "It can be done," he pointed out, getting everyone's attention. "But we need a little funding to pay for the backup. No one is just going to do something out of the goodness of their heart. Also, this demands on whether or not you care about the people working for you and how much property damage is permitted."

Ulamog looked at him. "Death and property damage?" he asked.

"Yes," Jace answered. "People might die and there might be property damage. I'm thinking…A janitor who needs a little time off, some well-placed charges, fire engine and gear…Late night after everyone's essentially gone home. A few people might die, and the upper levels of the building might be lost to fire."

"That's insane," Ulamog snapped.

"Be that as it may, I don't hear _you_ coming up with any brilliant ideas," Jace snapped back. "And you're in charge of the federal branch?! HA! My son could run shit better than you and he's only four! That's this many you dumbass!" Jace held up four fingers. Sorin, Nahiri, and Chandra watched with wide eyes. Jace never went off like that.

"Little freak," Ulamog spat.

"That's it!" Jace punched him, down Ulamog in one hit. There was a sickening crunch in his right hand and wrist, making him pale drastically, eyes going wide. He clenched his teeth and held his hand close.

"Jace?" Sorin asked.

"Mmhm?" Jace responded, tears in his eyes.

"Your thumb goes on the outside of the fist."

"I know," Jace squeaked.

"Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"

"Yes please."

Chandra slapped her hand to her forehead. "He cannot even remember that one basic thing," she mumbled as Sorin got Jace into his car. Emeria was getting Ulamog into his. She was trying not to laugh.

"At least he downed that fucker," Nahiri commented.

"There's that," Chandra agreed.

"Where's Jace going?" Ranna asked, Pia with her.

"Going to the hospital to get x-rays of his hand and wrist," Chandra answered.

"What? What happened?" Ranna exclaimed.

"He punched my boss," Emeria responded, getting ready to get in her car. "After my asshole of a boss called Jace a freak, but Ulamog deserved it either way."

"Fuck you Emeria!" Ulamog snapped.

"And Jace made a fist with his thumb on the _inside_ ," Chandra added, holding up her fist with the thumb on the inside. She groaned. "I told him a thousand times that the thumb goes on the outside of the fist." Both Ranna and Pia groaned, the former pinching the bridge of her nose. Chandra and Ranna got in with Sorin and Jace to go to the hospital.

Pia went back inside with Nahiri.

"Jace has never hit anyone before," Nahiri pointed out. "He's usually a little more composed by that." She giggled. "Funny how the first time he actually hits someone, he puts his thumb on the inside."

Pia laughed.

"What's going on?" Gav asked.

Nahiri explained what happened, leaving her grandfather-in-law out of it. They didn't need to know about that. With Edgar now knowing where they were, she was worried about Sorin and her girls. Avacyn was playing with Vesper. She had really taken a liking to him. Thalia was chatting with Lavinia. They were bounding. There was a knock. Nahiri groaned. _Now what?_ She asked herself, going to answer. There was a black-haired girl with a cane at the door.

"Yes?" Nahiri asked.

"Is this the home of Sorin Markov?" the young woman questioned.

"Yeah, and you are?"

"Teysa Karlov."

* * *

Sorin dropped Jace, Chandra, and Ranna off at their place. The rest of the Beleren-Rhoka-Nalaar family was already inside, having brought the cars home with them. Sorin went up to his wife and two daughters. How was he going to tell his girls that Edgar found them? Edgar needed to croak. Soon. And Olivia just needed to go away and stop clinging to something that wasn't there. He wouldn't marry her if she were the last woman in the world! She was evil, conniving, manipulative, and would make sure to screw over Sorin's real family. He arrived at home where Nahiri was waiting on the front porched. He went and sat down beside her.

"So, what happens now?" she asked him.

"I don't know," Sorin answered. "We got the feds trying to control us and my grandfather trying to drag me back to Innistrad, kicking and screaming if need be. But I got my family back. I don't want to fuck it up again." He looked down. "Nahiri, there's a few things you need to know."

Nahiri looked at him. "Like wha-…It's Ugin in your coffin, isn't it?" she asked, voice suddenly cold.

"I was wearing a bullet proof vest," Sorin answered. Finally, the truth came out, and when he was done, Nahiri stood.

"And just when were you going to tell me this?!" she demanded. "When we're on our knees with guns in our faces because the feds can't be associated with criminals?!"

"Nahiri, I was doing it so Avacyn and Thalia wouldn't get taken away," Sorin pointed out, standing. "You were out of control."

"Oh, I'm out of control! THAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?!" she snapped. "All that I've done was for you and the girls!" She groaned, and stomped away to her motorcycle.

"Where are you going?" Sorin asked.

"I can't look at you right now!" Nahiri answered, and drove away.

Sorin sighed, looking down. He had really messed up this time. "Damn it," he whispered, before stepping inside. He then spotted Teysa on the sofa. She looked just like her mother when Maria was her age. "Maria?" It was an honest mistake.

Teysa looked up. "No, your niece," she answered.

"Teysa? Holy shit, you look like your mother," Sorin pointed out.

"Thank you," Teysa sighed. "I was surprised when I found out you were alive."

"So were a lot of people," Sorin muttered. He looked at his niece. She looked healthy, but the leg brace threw him off. "What happened to your leg?" he asked.

"Car accident," Teysa answered. "Mother and I were running away from the Karlov men, but they found out. They hired someone to kill my mother. When I woke up in the hospital, I found out my leg had been crushed in an accident. I could no longer use it."

Sorin came to sit beside her. "Teysa, I've been hearing rumors…"

"They're true." She didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. She just blurted it out. "Everything you've heard is true, and some of them are far worse than the rumors have let on." She rubbed her eyes. She looked a bit tired, now that Sorin noticed. He reached for the box of tissue on the coffee table and handed it to his niece in case she needed to cry or blow her nose. "Thank you…" She took one, sniffing. "I managed to slip away and avoid them. I withdrew my savings and got a job. I've been living with my boyfriend Tajic since school got out. Then I found out from a friend of mine that you were alive and I knew I had to find you. You're my only true family left. The Karlov men are little more than dirt to me."

Sorin nodded. "Well, you have your cousins, and Nahiri should she forgive me," he assured. "Now which friend told you I was alive?" he asked.

"Belinda," Teysa answered.

"How do you know her?" Sorin asked.

"I like some of her custom jewels and have even bought some of the stuff you stole from Sultai Jewelers," Teysa answered, smiling. "Then she pointed me to Jace who pointed me to you."

"You're good," Sorin complimented.

"I plan on being a lawyer someday; I have to be," Teysa pointed out. She sighed. She had been fighting back her tears well. "It feels good, knowing I still have family that I can trust."

"Well, you're free to come and go as you please," Sorin assured her, pulling her into a hug. "Now, tell me more about your life. I want to get to know my niece…"

* * *

One look at Teysa and Lavinia was smitten. Sure, she thought Thalia was attractive, but one: Thalia was smitten with a cute boy and was likely straight. And two: Lavinia admitted she was rather picky and not really into blonds. Lavinia liked darker hair and-. _Oh, wow! He's almost as big as Gideon!_ Lavinia thought when Tajic came in behind Teysa. She felt her mouth water. She was bi, and both Teysa and Tajic met her criteria. But they were already together, making Lavinia mutter a quiet "Damn" under her breath. Teysa past her, giving a smirk and a wink as she did so. Tajic gave a soft smile and a nod. Lavinia blushed furiously. Had they just flirted with her?! She dropped her book, her mind racing.

Tajic turned on his heel and picked the book up, handing it back with a smile. "You okay?" he asked, voice deep and brass.

"Yes," Lavinia squeaked.

"Oh, dear, I think she likes us, Tajic," Teysa giggled. Lavinia looked at her, still blushing madly. Teysa came over and hooked arms with her. "Going to Ravnica University?" the dark-haired woman asked.

"Y-yes," Lavinia answered, holding her book close. "I'm going into law."

"Same," Teysa told her. "Isn't law exciting? Alas, I do not know if I want to be a defense attorney or a prosecutor like my late mother."

"And, you? Tajic?" Lavinia asked, looking to the tall man.

"I joined the marines and am playing on the navy's football team while deciding what I want to do," Tajic answered. "Still not entirely sure, but I've always wanted to be in the military like the rest of my family. Even my mother was a marine. Don't piss her off is you meet her."

"No intention of it," Lavinia giggled. "I've heard the stories."

Teysa laughed. She looked around, and spotted Thalia, who came over with redheaded Grete. Jace and Chandra were having a big barbeque. It was like a big party for guests to their wedding. They planned on announcing the date of their wedding now. Avacyn was busy fussing over Vesper with Ranna and Pia. And little Vesper was soaking up the attention. Belinda and Karr showed up, bringing their toddler twins, Rose and Matt. She put them in the playpen with Vesper, who beamed at the sight of new friends. Avacyn squealed in delight at how cute the three were. Gideon Jura walked over to the playpen, a hotdog in hand. He smiled at Avacyn turning into putty over little children.

"Like kids much?" he asked.

Avacyn looked at him, eyes wide. "You're that guy from the café," she muttered.

"It's Gideon Jura, ma'am," Gideon pointed out, extending his free hand.

Avacyn shook it gently. "I'm Avacyn Markov. The groom was my babysitter and one of my parent's best friends."

"I'm a close friend of the groom's family; I'm Jek Rhoka's partner," Gideon explained. "I must admit, I was actually expecting a woman when I heard about Jace."

"Well, he was a girl when he babysat my sister and me," Avacyn pointed out. "But he was always sad. I'm glad he's happy now."

"That's important," Gideon agreed, "and he's with a good woman too. I actually went to school with the bride. She's good at soccer and dodgeball. I was surprised she didn't go for pro soccer."

"Well, pro sports isn't easy to get into," Avacyn pointed out.

They continued talking near the playpen. Chandra was busy shooing Jace and Pia from the grill. She didn't trust either of them to cook. They were terrible at it! She flipped the veggie, turkey, and beef burgers and turned the hotdogs. The reason for the three different burgers was that some of the guests were vegetarians or didn't/couldn't eat beef. Didn't mean Chandra refused to cater to those who preferred beef. Belinda came over and helped. She had been the one who came over and made the beef patties the night before.

"So, you handing out Save the Date cards tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah; you excited?" Chandra responded.

"Very," Belinda replied. "How's the arm?"

"Fully functional. Thanks for patching me up."

"Anytime."

Nissa came over, grabbing a whole wheat bun with eggless mayo. Chandra gave her a veggie burger. "Thank you," Nissa stated.

"You're welcome," Chandra responded. She had a fun little surprise for the girls she intended to be her bridesmaids.

"Turkey burger for me," Saheeli giggled.

Chandra gave her one.

"Vesper is such a little attention hog," Saheeli giggled.

"At least he's got other kids to play with now," Chandra pointed out, looking over and seeing Belinda's lynx lying by the playpen. She looked to Belinda. "So, what's the story with the cat?" she asked.

"Karr and I found him while we were hiking in the woods up north," Belinda answered. "His mom and littermates were killed by something and we found him huddled until the bodies and being quiet. For a kitten, he was brilliant. We took him back to our camp, packed up, and got to the nearest vet we could find. The vet told us he wouldn't survive. I took it as a challenge. We took Lucien home and nursed him back to health. As he grew, that tail of his grew with him. Now he's at the recommended height and weight for a lynx of his age. And he loves the twins. He usually stays in their room to keep them safe. And since getting switched to regular beds, the 'monsters under the bed' mentality sunk in and he makes sure they're safe from the monsters."

"He's a good cat then," Chandra said.

"I know. It's why I love him so much," Belinda sighed.

"Does he like hotdogs?" Chandra asked.

"Oh yeah," Belinda answered.

Chandra grabbed two and chopped them up for Lucien. Jace's dog Luna inched over to Lucien, investigating him. Lucien was surprisingly calm, lying on his side and blinking slowly. That was a good thing. Chandra sighed and chopped up two more hotdogs. She put the hotdogs in two bowls and placed them in front of Lucien and Luna. They chowed down on their treats. She saw that Sorin and Nahiri were avoiding each other. Understandable since he finally told her the truth. But Chandra knew that they still loved each other.

"Are they ever going to make up?" she asked her fiancé when he came over.

Jace looked over to Sorin and Nahiri. "I don't know…" he admitted. He had known Sorin and Nahiri for years, even back when she saw them fighting all the time. Nahiri hated how Sorin let his grandfather push him around all the time in front her, Avacyn, and anyone else at them the time. Nahiri had forgiven Sorin after he had been forced into cheating with Olivia Volderan. After she went out and revenge cheated with Ugin of course. Jace was the only one who actually knew the truth about it. His eyes shifted briefly over to Thalia. Did she even know? Did Sorin know?

Jace went to Nahiri. "Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure," Nahiri answered, and Jace sat beside her.

"Is Thalia really Ugin's?" Jace asked.

"I don't know," Nahiri answered. "And with him dead and buried, I may never know the truth."

"But Ugin has another kid, remember?" Jace pointed out. "You can always ask Sarkhan to give DNA for a test."

Nahiri sighed. "I don't know…"

"Are you ever going to forgive Sorin?" Jace asked.

She looked to her husband. He was hiding the pain in his heart, but it was something he could not hide from his own wife, the mother of his two beautiful daughters. She looked then to her daughters. Avacyn: She was talking to Officer Gideon Jura about her indecision about her future. He put a large, comforting hand on her should, getting her attention. "You love children," he told her. "So narrow it down to that: Pediatrician, a preschool, kindergarten, or grade school teacher; run a daycare, nurse at a children's hospital, or maybe a children's events coordinator at a library. You have some pretty great options."

Avacyn smiled then. "Those actually sound great," she responded.

Nahiri turned to Thalia, who was talking fashion with Teysa and Grete. Lavinia was only half listening, talking with Tajic instead. A fashion designer and model. Nahiri looked down. She had missed out on their lives. With a deep breath, she promised herself she would not miss anymore, and she planned to do with Sorin.

"I have to," she told Jace. "I'm his wife after all. The part of me that loves Ugin is with him." Tears streamed from her eyes. "Damn it, stop crying," she growled to herself. "I love Sorin so much, even though he's the world's biggest, stupidest man ever."

"Even though I broke my wrist because I put the thumb on the inside of my fist?" Jace asked.

"Shut up, Jace," Nahiri muttered.

"Okay." Jace got up and walked away. Sorin took his place.

"I'm stupid?" he asked.

"YES!" Nahiri answered. "You are a stupid, stupid man and I want to kick your ass!"

People stared.

"You're free to do so," Sorin offered, standing. He offered his hand to her. She took it and let him pull her to her feet.

And then Nahiri punched him in the nose, which sounded a sickening _**CRUNCH**_ , indicating that she had successfully broken Sorin's nose. She turned to Jace and shouted, "And _that_ , Jace Beleren, is how you punch someone!" Some laughed, others stared in shock and horror. Jace shifted uncomfortably. Nahiri then looked back to her husband, who had managed to at least get on his knees. He had fished two things from his pocket: A handkerchief which he pressed to his nose and a little black box. He opened it before pressing the handkerchief to his nose.

"Nahiri, will you marry me again, you infuriating woman?" he asked.

Nahiri's eyes went wide. She turned and pointed to Chandra, Saheeli, Nissa, Rashmi, Emmara, and Belinda, glaring. "Don't. You. _Dare_ ," she told them coldly. They giggled. She turned back to Sorin. "No more lies?" she asked.

"None."

"And when your grandfather comes knocking?"

"I'll tell him to go fuck Olivia himself," Sorin answered.

"You're a Grade A idiot…Yes, I'll marry you, asshole," Nahiri told him.

Sorin smiled, letting Nahiri take the ring and put it on with her old engagement ring and wedding ring. "Now could you run me to the hospital real quick?" he asked. "My nose is broken…"


	10. Chapter 9: The Senate Job

Jace had the bulletin board set up when Sorin, Nahiri, and Kallist arrived. Chandra had yet to show, making coffee run. Sorin had a brace on his nose from where Nahiri broke it. Jace looked at him. _He might not be able to do this job,_ he thought. They would be dealing with fire and smoke. A bad combination for someone with a broken nose, even if they were wearing a mask. _He could still set the charges and drive the getaway vehicle,_ Jace thought. He kept running the scenarios through his mind, playing out all the ways this could go wrong. A beam could fall on one of them. They could get electrocuted. The building might not completely evacuate and one of them gets shot. It made Jace nervous, especially since they were dealing with fire.

Fire was a wild card, an uncontrollable force to reckon with. If the wind blows the wrong way, the group could find themselves trapped in the fire. The wind. That was another unpredictable force. They would have to pay attention to make sure they would get out. No, they would be inside a building! They wouldn't know which way the wind was blowing. Jace would have to keep an eye on it for them. Sorin, Nahiri, and Kallist sat on the sofa, seeing Jace deep in thought. The door opened again, Chandra entering with a fully loaded drink tray. She smiled in greeting to the others and passed out the drinks.

"Two coffees, dark roast for Sorin and a lighter roast for Kallist." She handed the dark brown mug to Sorin and a light brown one to Kallist. "Cappuccino with the works for Nahiri." Nahiri thanked her when she received her drink. Chandra then went to Jace, holding a clear cup with green slush inside. "And an ice mint tea for Jace." Jace didn't respond. "Sweetie?" she called to him. Nothing.

"He won't respond," Nahiri pointed out. "When he gets like that, there's very little that will shake him." She sipped her cappuccino. "Jace is a strategist. He likes making sure the plans go smoothly."

"He wasn't like this planning the last two heists I did with him," Chandra pointed out.

"Fewer extremely dangerous variables involved in those," Sorin told her. "With this heist, we'll blowing up the upper stories of the Senate building and running through fire. We have to avoid the Syndicate, which is right across the street. The Senate's agents might not all leave-."

 _I hadn't thought about the syndicate,_ Jace thought, listening the conversation. _We'll need to plant the getaway vehicle a safe distance from there to help avoid suspicion._

"-and that's just off the top of my head," Sorin concluded, Jace having missed a part of what he said.

 _He sounds funny,_ Jace thought, somewhat amused at Sorin's funny voice.

"Okay, you've made your point," Chandra sighed. "This job is more fuckish than the last two." She paced a little before asking, "Do you think that fucker Ulamog is trying to get us all killed?"

"I know he is," Sorin answered. "He won't stop until we're all dead or in jail."

"How annoying," Nahiri grumbled, leaning against her husband and laying her head on his shoulder. She was a little tired today. She hadn't been sleeping well the last few days. Half because she and Sorin were going wild in the bedroom. The other half because of nightmares of death and loss, Edgar and Olivia destroying her family, the uncertainty of which man was Thalia's father.

"You okay?" Chandra asked.

"No, I'm not," Nahiri answered. "And I have every reason to not be okay."

"She's not been sleeping well," Sorin pointed out, sipping his coffee. "Ever since my grandfather showed up, we've been anxious. This man could ruin everything."

 _Another thing to consider,_ Jace thought. _We need to keep this hush-hush. Just the five of us in the know. Well, us five and Ula, Emeria, and Kosi. But they're the ones who approved of the plan. And what if Tezzeret shows up? What if he interferes in some way?_ That thought made Jace's stomach turn painfully, and he made a small sound of pain and discomfort. The others looked at him.

"Jace?" Chandra called to him, her voice calm.

"S-sorry," Jace apologized. "Edgar Markov and Tezzeret are both in town, and I'm scared what they could do if they found out about this. Too much can go horribly wrong. This can all get very ugly very fast."

"Agreed," Nahiri sighed. "We need a way to keep them out of this. But we'll have to deal with that in a while. So what do you have for us, Jace?"

"Right," Jace muttered, and took a deep breath. He began. "Our target is the digital archives on the 47th floor of Azorius Senate's Federal Building here in Ravnica. I'll be running background if need be, but hopefully I won't be needed. To prepare, we need a janitor's uniform and ID to get Sorin into the building to plant the charges. Sorin, you're also in charge of the getaway and disposing the fire truck. I'm not putting you in the danger zone due to your broken nose."

"Will the others be fine without me, though?" Sorin asked.

"I can try and find someone to help with this job, but no promises due to there being no pay," Jace answered. "But Nahiri, Chandra, and Kallist should be just fine. Chandra, I need you to acquire a firetruck and four uniforms. Shouldn't be too hard for you to do. Also, work on your aim. I hope you won't find any resistance while getting out, but it never hurts to be prepared."

"Right. I'll visit a range after I get the truck," Chandra promised.

"Kallist and Nahiri, I need you both to acquire two getaway vehicles and hide them a fair distance from the Senate and Syndicate buildings," Jace ordered. He looked around. "Did everyone bring a change of clothes? They'll be going into the trunks of the getaway cars. The firefighter uniforms will be going down with the truck."

Everyone nodded.

"Sounds like a solid plan," commented a cold, emotionless voice. "What will I be doing though?"

The color drained from Jace's already pale face, eyes going wide. His stomach felt like it was imploding. Kallist, Sorin, and Nahiri were on their feet, their preferred guns in hand and aimed at Tezzeret Rhoka, who was leaning against the doorframe casually. Chandra went to Jace and pushed him behind her. This man had terrorized Jace since she was a toddler. Jace brought his good hand up to his left eye and took deep breath. He felt a burning sensation in his back, reminding him of the scars Tezzeret had left on his back. He was sure he was going to throw up. _Please don't let Tezzeret be armed,_ he thought.

"Really? After all these years? This is the greeting I get from my old colleagues?" Tezzeret asked, standing up straight. "I went to prison for ten years and finally get out to your three ready to shoot me?"

"The only reason we were colleagues was because my grandfather found you useful," Sorin answered, still aiming at Tezzeret. "Alas, I have no love for the miserable wretch, and you are no friend of mine."

Behind Chandra, Jace was still a shaking, shivering wreck.

"Can I just see my favorite niece?" Tezzeret asked.

"No, you can't," Kallist snarled. "My little sister Lavinia would readily put a bullet in your head because she knows you're a disgusting bastard."

"I was talking about Jace," Tezzeret pointed out.

"I'm…I'm not a girl," Jace whispered, his voice so soft that Chandra barely heard him.

"We don't give a damn who you were talking about," Nahiri responded to Tezzeret. "Jace is under no obligation to please you. He is free of you."

"You always were an idiot, Nahiri," Tezzeret snapped. "Jace is a girl."

"No, I'm not," Jace whimpered, this time a little louder. Chandra looked behind her to see Jace wasn't shaking anymore. He was still.

"How dare you insult my wife, you piece of shit!" Sorin snapped, shooting Tezzeret. The bullet went into Tezzeret's prosthetic right arm, making the man wince a little.

"Did you forget I lost an arm?" Tezzeret asked. "Now, I want to talk to my niece."

"I AM NOT A GIRL!" Jace finally snapped, stomping around Chandra. "I never wanted to be a girl! It wasn't who I am! I. Am. A. BOY. The rest of my family accepts me that way! Why the fuck can't you?!"

In any other circumstances, everyone might have smiled in pride. Jace had never been able to properly stand up to people. Even punching Ula had gone awry when Jace ended up with broken wrist. Naturally, the group was proud of him. He was standing up to his abuser.

"You are horrible, disgusting person and I hate you! All my life you have treated me like shit!" He grabbed Chandra's gun from her belt and aimed at Tezzeret. "Now get out of here before I shoot you!"

Tezzeret raised his hands, backing out slowly before turning to leave. Jace almost passed out. Sorin and Chandra caught him before he hit the ground. They moved him to the couch and let him rest a moment. Chandra took her gun from him with care and kissed his forehead.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him, now daring to smile.

"I want throw up," Jace mumbled.

"You can do whatever you damn well please," Sorin pointed out, grabbing the waste bin from the corner and holding it up. "Whatever makes you feel better."

Jace nodded and threw up.

* * *

Avacyn and Gideon were been spending quite a bit of time together. There was a powerful attraction between the two. He was the perfect specimen of humanity to her and she was like a beautiful angel to him. He was the one to help her finally decide on becoming an elementary teacher. She loved children, and her favorite subject had always been English. Sure, she disliked math; everyone did though. It was something she planned on improving. Now, she was looking through college and scholarship applications. It was a bit late to get the important classes she needed, or wanted. So she planned to take the rest of the year off to relax and start school in the spring semester and play catchup in the summer. Teysa and Lavinia came by to help her. The latter proved excellent at finding scholarships.

"So, education major?" Teysa asked her cousin.

"That's right," Avacyn answered.

"You should volunteer with children," Lavinia pointed out. "It would help get scholarships and looks good in college applications."

Avacyn nodded in agreement. "I hear Ravnica University has a daycare that hires students to help them pay for books and supplies," she muttered. "But I don't know if they'll take me."

"And Ravnica is a Top 10 school," Teysa stated, removing her leg brace. "Stupid piece of crap…" she grumbled. "Vinnie, can you fish the wrench from my purse?"

"Sure," Lavinia responded, setting aside her blue laptop. She went and grabbed wrench from Teysa's purse.

"Are you allowed to do that?" Avacyn asked, watching as her cousin made a few adjustments to the brace.

"Don't know, don't care," Teysa answered. "The stupid thing keeps locking up on me and I'm too cheap to get a new one." She then set it aside. "I hate wearing it; it's a pain in the ass, especially when I need to maintain it. And I don't want to oil it; the oil will stain my clothes and my wardrobe is very limited right now."

"You just have a hundred problems, it seems," Avacyn commented, smiling softly.

"And not realizing my little sister is making out with a boy in the next room isn't one of them," Teysa pointed out.

Avacyn gasped and jumped up. "She isn't!" she exclaimed.

"I spotted them on her bed when I was coming back from the bathroom," Teysa told her. "A real looker, him. Black hair, strong shoulders…"

"Odric?"

"Oh, is that his name?" Teysa asked. "He's cute."

Avacyn went and checked on her sister to make sure she and Odric weren't having sex. She felt relief when she saw that they were just making out. She slipped away and back to her room where she flopped onto her bed.

"Okay, how about this for a scholarship…" Lavinia started.

* * *

Sorin and Jace were staking outside the parking garage for the Senate building, waiting for a janitor named Myc. The janitorial staff worked for a separate company that was contracted for the job. The young man they were looking for was learning his father's business. Sorin leaned on the steering wheel, watching the cars come out and waiting for Jace to give the okay. Finally, a small car from out.

"That's him," Jace reported.

Sorin drove after, remaining a couple car lengths behind. "You sure this kid will cooperate?" he asked Jace. "You said his mother was some sort of cop."

"A highway patrol officer, but yes," Jace responded. "But who wants to willingly work for Ula? I hear he's refusing their terms for the contract renewal. Jarad Savod is not pleased with the matter and would probably love to see the Senate taken down a few notches."

Sorin nodded. "Right." They followed Myc to his apartment and waited for him to start up the stairs. Then Sorin got out and followed him inside. The young man jumped in alarm. "I just want your ID and spare uniform," Sorin pointed out. "I'll be doing your job for a while."

"Really?" Myc asked. After a moment of consideration, he asked: "Are you going to pull something on the Senate? Go right ahead." He handed over his spare uniform and ID. The uniform would need to be adjusted for it to fit Sorin. Chandra's mother could probably help with that. Sorin thanked Myc and left.

"You were right," he told Jace once back in the car.

"Told you."

Across the city, Chandra was getting the firetruck and firefighter uniforms. A firetruck and the firefighters inside left. Hopefully they had extra uniforms and an extra truck inside. She smirked over the fact that she was that lucky. She gathered the extra uniforms into the truck and drove out. It was the easiest job she'd ever had. She drove the truck to the warehouse, hiding it under the overpass next to the building. She knew everyone else would be getting the getaway cars and stashing them. She then went to the shooting range.

Tezzeret was there, almost as if he had been waiting for her. He looked up, glaring. Chandra ignored him and went inside to practice. He followed and watched. She was working on her aim. Tezzeret was wondering who she was to Jace. After she was done, she found she was a better shot. She left, continuing to ignore Tezzeret. Finally, he stepped in her path and demanded, "Who are you?"

"Fuck you; it's none of your damn business," Chandra answered. "And if you come near Jace or our family at all, I will set. You. On. Fire." Her face was cold, her voice dead serious. This man could burn in Hell for all she cared, for how he treated Jace.

"A family, you say?" Tezzeret asked, curiosity piqued.

Chandra took a step toward him and got in his face. "You want to go, fucker?" she snapped.

Tezzeret stayed where he was, ready to fight. He took a step back, turning slightly. Chandra thought he was backing down. Then he swung his prosthetic arm and slammed into the left side of her face. Chandra swung to the right and hit the ground. That was going to leave a bruise, but at least Tezzeret threw the first punch and the shooting range had it on camera. She jumped up and tackled the man. She clawed his face, in the event he killed her or left in her state where she would be incapable of telling people what happened. She got a DNA sample, as she broke the skin. She knocked him down. People stopped, some gathering to watch the fight, others calling the police. The two started beating the crap out of each other.

Nahiri and Kallist were walking back to the warehouse, talking, when they saw the fight. They didn't need to say anything before jumping in. Nahiri got ahold of Tezzeret and pinned him to the ground. The right corner of Chandra's lips was busted up, bruised, and bleeding. The left side of her face was bruised and swelling a bit near the temple. Kallist took her and held her up before her knees gave out. She slung her arm over his shoulder and held her upper abdomen. Tezzeret and managed to punch her multiple times there.

"You come near our family again, I'll fuck you up, tool!" Chandra snapped. She reached up and wiped blood off her chin.

Nahiri gripped a fistful of Tezzeret's dreadlocked hair and smashed his face into the concrete for good measure, just as Sorin and Jace pulled up. Jace was frozen in his seat, as seeing Tezzeret was enough. Sorin got out.

"What happened he asked?" he asked.

"Fucker is a creepy stalker," Chandra answered. Sorin helped her into the backseat. Kallist got in beside her. Nahiri followed after the others were in.

Sorin drove them to St. Selesnya Hospital where Dr. Emmara Tandris saw to Chandra. She was a five-foot-eight beauty on two inch heels in a shining, peridot green color. She wore her soft blond hair in a high ponytail and had kind, silvery-green eyes. She wore a baby green button up shirt and white pencil skirt under a white coat. She was the doctor who worked with Chandra and Jace. She took one look at Chandra and groaned.

"I am so grateful you never needed facial reconstruction surgeries," she pointed out, taking in the beaten redhead.

"I'm just lucky I don't need new teeth after this," Chandra joked. "Seriously, I can get cleaned up at home." She looked to the others. "Why did you bring me to the hospital?"

Emmara groaned, rolling her eyes. "Chandra, there's swelling near your temple," she told her. "Do you remember how you got that?"

"Yeah; Tezzeret whacked me in the side of the face with his stupid, fakeass arm," Chandra answered.

"Tezzeret? As in Jace's uncle Tezzeret?" Emmara asked.

"Yeah, whose also a creepy stalker," Chandra answered. "Seriously, that guy has some issues that would make Alhammeret quit his job."

Emmara took a look at Chandra and bandaged her up. "Right, well don't push your luck, okay?" she chided.

Chandra grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Somehow, I don't believe that."

* * *

While Avacyn looked after Vesper again, the crew was making final preparations for the Senate building. Sorin was standing still as Pia made the final adjustments to the janitor uniform. She wasn't happy about this.

"You make sure they all get out of this alive, you hear me?" she demanded.

"I've known Nahiri, Jace, and Kallist for years; they'll take care of Chandra," Sorin assured, "and after the last few jobs I've done with Chandra, I know she'll be okay."

Pia sighed nodded. "Well, you're done." She pulled away and looked at her handy work. "Looks better.

Sorin nodded. "Thank you." He rejoined the others, and listened as Jace went over the plan again. He was nervous, exhausted. He leaned in to ask Chandra, "Has he been sleeping lately?"

"Since Tezzeret showed up her and dented my face, his anxiety is through the roof," Chandra answered. "Even with Luna, Vesper, and me in the room with him, he won't sleep." Jace finished talking and took a gulp of coffee. He was jittery. Chandra went and rubbed his shoulders. "Calm down, hon, we got this," she assured him.

"I'm sorry," Jace apologized, sniffing rubbing his left eye. "I'm just really feeling the pressure here."

"I know; you've run over the plan like a hundred times, we've got the stuff, it's now or never," Chandra pointed out. "Have faith that we can do this."

Jace nodded, and they moved out. He hacked the 911 operating systems to delay the fire departments. Nahiri, Chandra, and Kallist waited in their fire engine. Sorin went to the senate building in a stolen car. Jace brought up interior maps after bypassing the building's security with his special program: Cloud Sprite. It was an experimental program, and today it was a test run. They were large viruses with that hid mini viruses that slipped in through the holes the larger ones made and went back to the larger survivors with data and information and they came back. It was successful.

"It worked!" Jace cheered, jumping up abruptly and throwing up his hands. Pia's eyes widened at this. "This program was totally experimental!"

"We put our faith in a program that may or may not have worked?" Sorin demanded from his earpiece.

"Shut up, it worked!" Jace snapped, giggling madly.

Chandra giggled.

Sorin pulled up to the Senate building. "Fuckin' Christ," he grumbled, stepping out of his car. He went up and inside, using the altered ID to get past security. Jace guided him to the floor he needed to be, and then to the janitor's closet to get the mop bucket. Sorin went through, planting the charges once the cameras turned so he was out of sight. After he was done, he returned the mop bucket and left the building. No one paid him any mind. He then took out his phone and made a four-way call to each charge. His phone rang and the charges detonated. Jace alerted Chandra, who flipped on the sirens and lights. Nahiri sped through the city. They met Sorin out front. She, Chandra, and Kallist jumped out, high-fiving him. Sorin got into the engine, getting equipped just in case he had to run in.

The three ran inside. Chandra moved rubble off a guy and pulled him up. The man thanked her and ran out. _My good deed of the day,_ she thought, before following Nahiri and Kallist. They got in the elevator, except Kallist, who stared at them in shock.

"You're joking right? This building is on _fire_!" he pointed out.

"So?" Chandra asked.

"You don't get on an elevator in a burning building!" Kallist answered.

Nahiri rolled her eyes and grabbed Kallist by his jacket, yanking him inside. Chandra hit the button for the floor a few below the danger zone. They made it there safely. They then made it up to the digital vault. Most of the place was on fire, but they retrieved the hard drive they needed.

"You know what just occurred to me?" Kallist asked.

"What?" Nahiri responded.

"We could have just let the fire destroy the fucking thing!"

"Yeah? Well we already got it, so let's get the fuck out before we're burnt to a crisp!" Chandra snapped.

They bagged the hard drive and started escaping. The structure of the floor they were on and the ones above were severely weakened now, which meant floors, ceilings, and beams collapsing. Nahiri was leading the way, carrying the bag with the hard drive. Chandra was behind her, a gun in hand. Kallist brought up the rear, until the floor collapsed under his feet. He grabbed the edge of the hole.

"Kallist!" Chandra exclaimed, stopping in her tracks upon hearing Kallist's shout. She spun around and went to try and pull him out. Fire roared beneath him. If he fell, he would die a horrible death. She heard a groan and crack above them and looked up. The ceiling was about to collapse on them. She looked behind her. A wall of fire. Nahiri was nowhere to be seen. "Nahiri?" she whimpered. The ceiling crack more, dust and bits of debris falling on them. Chandra kept trying to pulling Kallist out.

"Chandra, can you make it?" Kallist asked.

"Not without you. Jace still needs you," Chandra answered.

Kallist smiled up at her. "He…Has you now." He let go, but Nahiri came and grabbed him. Chandra grabbed him again and they pulled him out.

"No, he has _us_ ," Nahiri pointed out. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Clearly," Chandra groaned.

They pulled Kallist out and ran before the ceiling collapsed on them. They made it out of the building and to the fire engine. Sorin looked at them with worry. Nahiri got him beside him.

"Drive!" she barked. Sorin didn't need to be told twice. As he left, the real fire departments arrived. He drove to the parking garages where the stolen car were. They hopped out and changed hurriedly. Kallist and Chandra took a car and drove away. Nahiri followed Sorin as he drove out of the city and into the desert. He blew up the car and got in with his wife. She smiled at him and drove them to the meet-up spot where they were to meet Emeria, Ula, and Cosi…


	11. Chapter 10: Trap Triggered

Author's Note: I don't normally do this, but this chapter is going to have some unpleasant content, including mild, implied transphobia and Jace suffering from PTSD and Tezzeret being even creepier than usual. I literally wanted to puke when I wrote Tezzeret being generally unpleasant.

* * *

Nahiri waited in the car. Sorin was to make the delivery himself. The parking lot outside the fancy, three story, outdoor mall just outside the rich white neighborhoods of Ravnica was eerily vacant. It was Saturday. People frequented malls on Saturdays. She checked the time on her phone: Almost noon. She thought on it. There were two roads to reach this mall, and they had taken the western one. That road had been closed for "construction" but they drove through anyway. It was closer. The more she thought about this, the less she liked it. She saw Sorin disappear from view, her body tensing. She grabbed her sniper and assault rifles and got out. This was a _trap_.

Sorin met up with Emeria, watching as her wavy blue hair billowed in the breeze, mingling and twisting with the violet highlights and tips. She was leaning against the rail, looking out over the city. From where they were, they could see the smoldering remains of the upper stories of the Senate building. Sorin joined her at the railing, back to it and he looked at her. She looked calm, despite the night's events, but her body was tense.

"So, our insurance will cover the losses, and it's quite the payout we're receiving," she explained, not even looking at Sorin. "Few casualties, if any. I'm shocked. You lot have a high body count."

"Like yours is much better," Sorin commented.

"But everyone is questioning Ula; his ability to run the Senate," Emeria pointed out, head tilting slightly toward Sorin. Her dark eyes were dead serious now, all calmness stripped away. "I think he's about to become our enemy."

"We both have a lot of enemies," Sorin reminded her. "He's just one more, and he's a sack of human shit no one will miss."

"You!" they heard a shout.

"Speak of the fucking devil," Emeria grumbled, turning to Ula and Kosi as they approached, the former stomping over and aiming a gun at Sorin's head. Sorin responded in kind.

"You fucking psyc-."

"You agreed to the plan," Sorin pointed out, his voice cold. "I got your hard drive, you get a big insurance payout, and-."

"I didn't think your little hacker friend would start a bidding war for private information from the Senate," Ula snapped.

"He what? Jace is a lot of things, but he's not stupid," Sorin exclaimed, now wide-eyed. They knew Jace hacked the Senate building, but he had only gone after the building's floor plans to determine where to place the charges.

"Well, the little freak of nature did it and now I'm facing a possible pink slip and prison for selling federal secrets," Ula shouted. "Now, where is she?"

"First of all, Jace is a man. Secondly: You ever call him a freak again, I'll-."

"Enough of this," Kosi huffed, aiming his gun at Ula. Emeria aimed a gun at Kosi.

"The fuck are you doing?" Ula demanded.

"Ula, you're under arrest for crimes against the state and country," Kosi answered. "Now, put a bullet in Markov's and Emeria's head and come quietly."

"And I suppose you really for the Syndicate?" Emeria asked.

"Actually, I do," Kosi answered.

"Yeah, but you forgot one thing," Sorin pointed out.

"And what's that?" Kosi asked.

Sorin shot him in the head. "You're outnumbered, dumbass."

That was when all Hell broke loose. The Syndicate's forces showed up, guns blazing. Ula, Emeria, and Sorin ran and ducked for cover, firing back. They were separated and lightly armed, the enemy wielding heavier guns and swat gear. Sorin could escape. He was certain the Syndicate was mainly after Emeria and Ula, but he needed Emeria to keep him family together. They could put a bullet in Ula's head for all her gave a damn. That's when the swat team on him, Emeria, and Ula were shot up and dropped dead. Sorin peaked out from his hiding spot. His grandfather's men. Well, at least he had allies. Sorin stood, hands raised. The men aimed at him, but lowered their weapons when they saw Sorin. His cellphone rang and he answered.

"What?" he demanded of his grandfather.

"It would appear you've walked right into a trap," Edgar answered, "and you brought your pretty little wife with you." He hung up.

"Fuck!" Sorin growled.

He looked to the men, and more Syndicate gunners appeared, as well as a chopper that shot at Sorin. A third of Edgar's men fell when the chopper fired at them. The others moved to attack Syndicate forces. Sorin looked to Emeria and Ula.

"We have temporary allies in Edgar's men, but get ready to kill them at a moment's notice," he told them. They nodded and followed Sorin to safer spot. "I have to find Nahiri," he muttered. "She's in danger. Edgar's men won't hesitate to kill her." He scanned the mall as the firefight ensued, and spotted Nahiri on the roof. She had a high powered sniper rifle, and she was aiming at the Syndicate chopper. She followed the driver and fire. A large round broke through the glassed and went into the pilot's head. The chopper fell out of the sky and exploded into the mountainside. Sorin sighed in relief, but wondered something: Kosi clearly tipped off the Syndicate. But who tipped off Edgar? It couldn't have been Jace, but then he went and sold Senate secrets. No, he wouldn't do that. Sorin knew who tipped off Edgar and his men: Tezzeret. And he had Jace hostage somewhere and forced him to sell the Senate's secrets.

"Okay, I know whose behind the Senate's secret's being posted," he told Ula and Emeria.

"Yeah, your pet hacker," Ula snapped.

"His uncle, Tezzeret, actually," Sorin corrected. "Now he has Jace hostage somewhere…"

Chandra, Kallist, Saheeli, and Ral arrived, all armed. Nahiri had called Chandra and Kallist, informing them that she and Sorin had walked into a trap. So, they brought backup. They entered the mall, gunning down the Syndicate gunners from behind.

"Okay, I see two forces fighting," Ral pointed out. "Syndicate is a yes, but the other group?"

Nahiri joined them on the ground. "Edgar Markov's men," she answered. "They'll do what they can to ensure Sorin's safety. We're nothing to them." She led them around the firefight, behind Edgar's men, and straight to Sorin, Ula, and Emeria. She went to her husband and embraced him.

"Nahiri, you shouldn't be here," Sorin told her.

"Consequences be damned," Nahiri huffed. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No; I'm fine," Sorin answered.

"Jace is missing," Chandra pointed out. "He never came. Mom told me two thugs came to the warehouse and knocked her down before dragging Jace away."

"Tezzeret has him," Sorin reported. "He's the only person I know of who would've known where I'd be, and had to have told Edgar I was in danger."

"How do we find them?" Kallist asked.

"Saheeli and Ral: You two have high IQ's," Sorin said. "Jace was forced into selling Senate secrets online. How would we find out where he is?"

"We trace the IP address of the sale to their location," Saheeli answered.

"Then we go in guns blazing and get our friend back," Ral added.

"You really needed two geniuses to figure that out?" Chandra asked.

"I'm not hip with these computer things," Sorin answered.

They ran out behind Edgar's men, Ula and Emeria following closely. The mob had almost finished off the Syndicate, so they had to move fast. Protecting and extracting Sorin was their mission. Everyone else was just detail. They made it outside to their vehicles. Ula and Emeria sped out in their own cars. Sorin and Nahiri got in their car. The others followed to Sorin and Nahiri's house. Avacyn and Thalia looked at them, playing a board game with Grete and Teysa.

"Dad? Is everything okay?" Avacyn asked.

"Not really," Sorin answered. "Grandfather is in town."

Avacyn paled. Drastically. "Please tell me he's leaving," she begged.

"Only if I go with him or he kicks the bucket," Sorin pointed out. "I really hope it's the latter."

"That's an awful thing to say about your grandfather," Grete pointed out.

"You haven't met mine," Sorin informed her. "He's as bad as Teysa's."

"He sold my mother to the highest bidding family for fuck's sake," Teysa muttered, "just carted her up and sold her to three men that treated her like crap."

Saheeli and Ral were setting up their laptops in the kitchen, intending to find Jace. They brought up the bidding war for Senate secrets and began tracing the IP address.

"How I'd like to get back at the four bastards who got my mom killed," Teysa sighed.

"The big one," Nahiri chuckled.

"Nahiri, no," Sorin told her. "We need Jace and Ugin, and one is six feet under."

"But we have Chandra, got Kallist back, and we'll be putting a bullet in Tezzeret's head to rescue Jace," Nahiri pointed out.

"What?!" Grete exclaimed.

"Just ignore them," Thalia muttered. "They're talking crazy." They then went back to their game while everyone else slipped into the kitchen.

"Okay, how's it coming?" Sorin asked, Ral and Saheeli working fast.

"We'll have their location in less than two minutes," Saheeli answered.

Sorin's phone rang. Emeria. Ugh. He answered: "Hello?"

"You better find your hacker and fast," Emeria told him. "Ula already has people tracking Jace down. I've never seen Ula like this. I really think he'll kill Jace."

"Okay, thanks for the update," Sorin replied, and then they hung up. "Nahiri, Kallist, and Chandra, with me. Now. Rai and Zarek: Contact Chandra the second you have Jace's location. The Senate is already hunting him down and Emeria thinks Ula is going to kill Jace."

The four ran out the door, piling into Sorin's car. Once past the gate, he floored it. A minute later, Chandra answered her ringing phone. "What do you have for me?" she asked, panic practically tattooed on her face. They gave her the address which she repeated to Sorin. He sped up, hurrying to what is hopefully Jace's location.

* * *

Jace himself was constantly looking over his shoulder. The two thugs and Tezzeret were watching him. He looked back to the computer. Mere hours in and the bidding war had escalated into the millions. Tezzeret wanted to see how far this would go. Jace knew that it may very well jump into the tens of billions. Maybe even a hundred billion. Anything for government secrets after all, and he was fated to take the fall for Tezzeret. Finally, his uncle stood and walked over. He put his organic on Jace's shoulder, making him tense and shudder, choking back the urge to vomit. Then the older man put his chin on Jace's right shoulder, making Jace fidget. He was fighting back tears and vomit. His skin started to itch. He had to stay quiet. _Do not make a sound,_ his mind whispered.

"Keep the bid war going," Tezzeret ordered, kissing the exposed part of Jace's neck. "I'm going to get some food." He grinned. "I remember what you like." He strode off, leaving the little house.

Jace covered his face, sniffling. His fingers and hands went up into his hair and he leaned back to looked up at the ceiling. He just needed to behave. If he got out of this while still being Tezzeret's prisoner, maybe being a girl won't be so bad. Except…Jace didn't want to go back. Tears streamed from his perfect blue eyes. He couldn't go back to the constant wrongness. He just wanted to go home, being a loving husband and father, love his transgendered wife, and raise their baby, who was perfect no matter what he wanted. Vesper could choose to be a girl, be gay, or whatever for all Jace cared and he would still love him. No matter what, Jace believed his son to be perfect, and it was the one time he didn't regret having a uterus and vagina.

 _I'm getting out of here,_ Jace thought.

The door was kicked in and the two thugs responded, taking out guns to shoot whoever. Then a smoke grenade was tossed in. Jace hurriedly canceled the bid, and hurriedly destroyed the account. He unplugged the computer. He started coughing as the smoke reached him, but he hugged the computer close. Whatever happened, the computer needed to be destroyed. Someone hugged him. Bleary-eyed, Jace looked to someone wearing a gas mask. They pulled him along, guiding him out of the house and into a familiar black car: Sorin's car. Jace finally looked to the person who pulled him out. She removed her mask, smiling.

"Chandra," Jace whimpered.

She kissed him in response, getting into the car beside him. They heard explosions, all before Kallist, Sorin, and Nahiri joined them. They sped away, and just in time. Jace told them to go to the nearest bridge, and it was there that he threw the computer into the ocean. With a sigh, he looked to the others.

"Is Tezzeret dead?" he asked.

"No," Nahiri answered. "But trust us, he will be soon enough."

"I hope so," Jace sighed. "At least I cancelled the bid war before unplugging the computer. I wasn't about to let anyone buy secrets."

"You're good," Sorin chuckled.

"So Jace," Nahiri began.

"Yeah?"

"What are our chances of the big score?" Nahiri asked.

Jace sighed. "I'd say a little higher than none," he answered.

"I heard higher than none," Nahiri pointed out, smiling to Sorin.

Sorin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, we'll do it."

Nahiri and Kallist cheered and high-fived each other.

"What's this big score?" Chandra asked.

"Karlov Bank," Jace answered.

"Karlov? As in Teysa's family?" Chandra asked.

"That's ri-. Oh…And I think our chances are steadily rising," Jace answered. "Hmm, she would need some serious convincing, but I think Teysa can give us the edge we've been lacking for so long."

"You want to use my niece?" Sorin asked.

"She would have access to private vaults," Jace pointed out. "So yes, I'm saying we should use Karlov Bank. And I just so happen to know that Edgar Markov uses the bank to store his gold bars."

"Oooh," Chandra responded.

"Exactly! We will go down in history!" Jace pointed out. "Now, we need some plans…" He went deep into thought. "Nahiri, I'll need you to do some reconnaissance with me. I want to see what we're up against outside the bank. And I'll need Teysa to study the inside. If we do this right, we'll be set for life and could end up exposing the Karlov family for what they are."


	12. Chapter 11: The Ultimate Heist

Sorin didn't know what to expect when he went to Teysa and Tajic's apartment to explain the situation to her. It certainly wasn't an immediate answer of "I'm in." He was now staring at his niece in surprise. She sat on the armchair with a cup of tea on the end table beside her and a book in her lap. She was looking at him with her silver eyes, knowing he hadn't expected her to join in on the heist so easily. Naturally, being an ambitious Karlov, she had her reasons and motivations to be involved, including revenge, exposing the Karlov men for the conniving bastards they were, and gaining a sense of security and freedom from them. Sorin understood why she said yes though. Maria was dead and denied her wishes.

"I guess I just expected more resistance since they're looking for you," he pointed out, now hugging her. "I know why you're helping though." He cursed the Karlov men and his grandfather for just handing Maria over to them. _If Edgar had known the outcome, would he have still handed her to them?_ Sorin wondered. Yes. He would. Edgar was conniving and malicious, always seeking gain where he could find it.

Teysa nodded. "It couldn't be helped," she told him. "It was going to come to this eventually." They pulled away. "It's time to avenge Mother."

Sorin nodded. "Jace will set you up with the gear you need to collect data from the bank and I'll drop you off there."

"Thanks."

Jace was waiting for them, his mother watching with concern and curiosity. "Okay, these glasses have a camera built into them that are wirelessly connected to my computer. They'll stream into my laptop and I'll snapshot what footage I deem essential," he explained. He produced wire taps and earpieces. "I guess you know what these are."

"I do," Teysa replied.

Jace nodded and hooked her up.

"You look good with glasses," Sorin complimented.

Teysa smiled. "At least they're fashionable."

Jace smiled and rolled his eyes. "There." He stepped away. "Now Teysa, this is your last chance to back out," he pointed out. "Are you absolutely certain you want to do this? I understand that it will be hard."

Teysa sighed. "Yes. I have to do this."

Jace nodded again. "Then let's do this." He grabbed the rest of his equipment and he, Teysa, Ranna, and Sorin slid into his car. Sorin drove to the front of the bank, parking across the street. Teysa nervously looked across the street. She collected her nerve and grabbed her cane before getting out. Her leg was starting to ache. Bad. Still, she limped across the street to the bank. She took a deep breath before entering. Jace got the camera and feed going. Ranna watched, amazed at how fast Jace worked. His fingers were a blur on the keyboard. Sorin watched from the driver's seat as his niece disappeared into the tall building.

"How is she?" he asked Jace.

"She'll be fine as long as she doesn't have a complete and utter meltdown," Jace answered.

Sorin nodded.

Inside, Teysa was met by the security guards, who started asking her questions about where she had been, was she safe, was she healthy? She dismissed their barrage of questions with a simple "Better than I've felt in years. I'm here to see my mother." She made her way up the vaults on the topmost floor of the tower. She arrived at the same time as people who came to pick up gold from the vault, which meant stepping on the elevator with her brother.

"Oh shit," Jace hissed.

"What?" Sorin asked, looking into the backseat.

"Fuck, she just stepped onto the employee elevator and her brother is there," Jace answered. He spoke into the mic. "Teysa, bail out."

"Teysa? Where the Hell have you been?!" Alexander Karlov IV demanded, reaching for his sister.

Teysa raised her cane and pushed against Alexander's chest with it. "None of your damned business," she answered, shoving him back and stepping in. "I'm simply here to see Mother." She leaned against the rail, one hand gripping the rail. The elevator doors slid shut and the tension was practically unbearable, especially for the men picking up the gold. They were on the elevator for five minutes, all feeling tense. Finally, they arrived on the top floor and started stepping out, Teysa getting off last. She followed them into the back where the gold was, Alexander letting them in. Jace was getting more data than he had hoped for. Teysa continued to the family vault and repeated the process her brother had. She put her hand up to the scanner and was approved. Next her eye was scanned. Finally, she punched in the code and the gaudy looking vault door opened for her. She stepped inside.

As Jace and Sorin had expected, creepy cultist bullshit was going on, with gaudy bejeweled ornaments and décor about. The wall was lined with slots containing the bodies of deceased Karlov's. She walked up to the airtight containing that held her mother. She looked to the door. Alexander would be busy. She removed her signet ring and opened the container with her mother.

"Teysa, does your brother usually handle the vault?" Jace asked.

"Yes," Teysa answered.

"Then I don't think we'll need anything from your mother," Jace pointed out.

"I figured; there's something I wanted to get from her either way." She reached behind her mother and unhooked a clasp. She removed a locket from her mother. Jace looked at it.

"What is that?" Jace asked.

"Something that belongs to Uncle Sorin," Teysa answered. On the locket was the crest of House Markov. She slipped it in her purse before locking her mother back up. With a sigh, she left the vault, locking it back up. She went past the gold vault and to the gate, but when she tried to exit, she was denied exit. "What the fuck?" The scanners had been turned off and the passcode was changed. "Shit!"

"Teysa-…Trap…Bre-…ing up!" Jace said, voice frantic and suddenly statically, there was a cut off. The lights went off in the top floor.

"Oh no," Teysa muttered. She was trapped. If power was lost to the top floor, there was a backup generator in the family vault that dead-bolted both doors, making escape impossible. She could only hope that Jace got everything he needed to help plan the heist. It was seven minutes before power was restored, but the scanners and her passcode still didn't work. The elevator returned, revealing her grandfather. The ugly, bloated man hobbled over, relying on a much stronger cane to help him. _He looks like one of those 90's cartoony video game elder characters,_ Teysa mused.

"Teysa, if you had wanted to remain hidden, you should not have come here," the old man wheezed. He looked her up and down. "Multiple piercings? That's unbecoming."

"Did I ask you for your opinion?" Teysa asked. "Now release me."

"I will, but only when your brother returns to drag you back home," Grandfather Karlov responded. "We were most worried about you. You will wed Alexander when we return and you will say 'I do' or we'll have Tajic killed."

Teysa's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't," she snapped.

"Try out patience and find out."

Teysa took a deep breath and dark gamble. "Do it then. Because once he's dead, I won't have anything left to lose and I will make sure to drag you all into Hell with me, so help me God."

"You're walking on thin ice young lady," Grandfather told her.

Teysa smacked the thick fencing with her cane, warning her grandfather away. Jace managed to reconnect.

"Teysa!" he shouted.

"Sorry Phantasm," she uttered. "I failed. Get out of here."

"Who are you talking to?" Grandfather demanded.

Teysa smacked the fencing and the elevator arrived, her brother stepping off with Father and Uncle. Two guards came with them, armed with weapons and handcuffs. They were going to drag her home kicking and screaming. Teysa looked wildly around, and grabbed a cart of gold before shoving it against the door. It would buy her time. She managed to get back into the family vault and shut the door behind her.

"Hide Tajic. He's in danger," she told Jace. She got behind the generator and thanked whatever god was listening for being able to enter still. She unscrewed the saber from her cane and rammed it into the thing. Should the heist go wrong, the vaults would not bolt lock. She sheathed the saber.

"Holy shit, I didn't know there was a sword in that!" Jace exclaimed.

"Lots of things you don't know," Teysa pointed out. "Not that it matters." She removed the glasses and looked into them. "I have to go. It's only a matter of time before they get in here and take me. Tell Tajic I love him."

"Teysa-."

She set the glasses, ear pieces, and wires on the ground. "Sorry for this." She stopped the equipment and stepped out from behind the generator once down. Soon, the vault door opened. If she was going to go down, then it was down fighting. She raised her saber.

* * *

Sorin was pissed, and it was up to Nahiri to calm him down. The Beleren-Rhoka family returned to Silmont's Crossing, taking Avacyn, Thalia, Vesper, and Tajic with them for their safety. Odric and Grete followed them up north. Nahiri had given Gav orders for the factory to keep the place running. Once they were away, Nahiri and Jace went to do some aerial reconnaissance. Tajic soon came back and went up to group.

"I want in," he told them.

Lavinia was with him. "Same here."

"Hell no! Absolutely not!" Jace shouted. "I'm already hesitant enough to let my future wife and my cousin do this! I am not going to let two people, one of whom is a _minor_ and my younger cousin to, and the other just out of high school, ruin their futures!"

"Agreed," Kallist said. "Vinnie, I just found out I had a little sister. I don't think you realize or understand what the Hell you're getting yourself into here. This is dangerous work that can go bad really fast. Not only that, but we have no idea what kind of skills you have or if either of you can use a gun."

"I can use a gun," Tajic pointed out. "I was also on my school's high school varsity football and did baseball and basketball in spring and winter and I work out daily."

"And I learned hacking," Lavinia added quietly. "I was trying to find you guys to make Dad, Uncle Gav, and Aunt Ranna happy again. I thought that by learning hacking, I could try and find you guys and bring you home." She looked down. "And since meeting Tajic and Teysa, I…Really…Like them. Both of them." That got some wide eyes.

Jace sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can you hack the traffic lights system?" he asked.

"I can do that," she answered, looking up with eager brown eyes. "I can help?"

"Jace, this is my little sister; are you serious?" Kallist demanded.

"I need an extra hand on hacking the systems," Jace pointed out. "I can keep the heat off her while she works." He turned back to Lavinia. "You won't have to worry about not getting any scholarships. You'll be set for a long time."

Lavinia smiled brightly. This would pay for her college tuition!

"What about me?" Tajic asked. "I want to bring those bastards down and get Teysa back."

"You're with us," Sorin answered. "Teysa is all I have left of my sister. I welcome you on board. Just keep up and try not to get killed. Nahiri is providing bulletproof vests and weapons for the job. Belinda is going to swing by the do some makeup for everyone."

"Can't believe she's still in the game," Kallist chuckled.

"Well she's going to be the buyer," Jace pointed out. "We just need the right cars…"

* * *

Once they had the right cars and they were stashed in an underpass, Belinda arrived, Jace started going over the plan. "Karlov Bank, supposedly the safest bank in the country," he began. "Today, we're going to prove everyone wrong. Thanks to Teysa and Nahiri, I know the plan we're going to aim for. The trucks that will be picking up the gold bars have a set route, but Nahiri I found the perfect staging point. Tunnel 9. Tajic has gotten some tools to blow the tires and cut off access through the tunnels. He and Kallist will be in the second truck. Sorin, you'll be in the first truck with one of the truck drivers. We need at least one alive to get us inside the garage at the bank. After he's served his purpose, do what you want with the drivers. Once the trucks' tires are blown, we'll have a two minute window to change the tires and get the trucks moving again before shit goes wrong. Nahiri, I want you on aerial support keeping an eye on things should they go wrong. Chandra, you'll wait by the cars with guns and be ready to load the cars up. I expect interference from Edgar Markov, as the gold we're stealing is his."

Tajic and Lavinia looked to Sorin. "We stealing from a relative of yours?" she asked.

"Edgar is a conniving, malicious bastard," Sorin answered. "I have no qualms about robbing his ass blind."

"Vinnie and I will on computers controlling the traffic lights, making sure you can escape to the getaway vehicles," Jace pointed out. "Now, this can go very wrong very fast."

"The makeup can get botched or might not be enough to keep you from being recognized," Belinda stated, taking out colored, cosmetic contact lenses. "Or one of you has astigmatism, which will cause these contacts to fail."

"Joy," Sorin muttered as Belinda gave him a black wig, blue eyes, and a five o'clock shadow. Nahiri made a purring sound of approval.

"So, anything else?" Jace asked.

Everyone shook their heads and answered with "No." They were ready. Time to move out. The first part of the plan went off smoothly. Sorin drove them in Jace and Chandra's minivan to Tunnel 9 where they hurriedly set up the trap and prepared to change the tires. Jace and Lavinia redirected traffic to ensure no one but the trucks entered the tunnel. Soon, the trucks arrived and blew their tires, screeching to a halt. The group went up and forced the driver's out. They grabbed the driver from the front truck while Tajic restrained and blindfolded the other three men and forced them into the trunk of the minivan while the others hurriedly changed the tires and cleaned up. Sorin made sure the remaining man would cooperate with them. Nahiri kissed him briefly. "Good luck handsome," she told him before going to the minivan. Those who remained got into the trucks and steadily made their way to the bank. Sorin sat beside the original truck driver, a man named Bob.

"Remain calm and do nothing to get us busted," Sorin ordered. "You'll be reward for your work."

"With a bullet to the head?" Bob asked.

"You and your friends will be released and handed a gold bar for your silence," Sorin answered. "Fail to do so, and your lives are forfeit."

Bob nodded and continued driving to garage under Karlov Bank. At the security checkpoint, he showed the guard his ID. The guard checked and then admitted them, commenting that they were a couple minutes late. Bob and Kallist drove calmly inside and backed up into parking spots. They got out and met up with Alexander Karlov. It took all of Tajic's willpower not to walk up and throttle the bastard.

"You're almost two minutes late," Alexander pointed out, voice calm, face relaxed into a smug grin. Oh, how Tajic wanted to punch that smug grin off his face…

"Yeah, yeah, traffic's a bitch today and the lights were against us," Sorin commented.

Alexander chuckled. Bob still remembered a few days ago when Teysa had gotten on the elevator with them, how tense it had been. Whatever happened to her? The four of them followed Alexander onto the large, employee only elevator. The five minute journey was tense, Tajic still wanting to fight Alexander for touching Teysa, for all the pain he'd caused her. He wished Lavinia or Teysa were there, to hold him back and calm him. He'd never thought that he'd fall for a woman as beautiful and passionate about her future as Teysa, let alone a woman as strong and athletic as Lavinia. He was especially surprised about his feelings for Lavinia, as she was really not his type. And both women had fallen hard for each other no less! Here Tajic thought he was no polygamist, but apparently it worked best when all parties were in love with one another and not just one person in love with multiple people. They arrived and Alexander led them to the gold vault. Nothing was truly different and they retrieved four carts of gold bars.

"Jeez, this shit's heavy even with the carts," Kallist commented.

"Well, take what you can carry," Alexander joked.

Sorin chuckled. "Of course," he muttered, pushing his cart.

They got back onto the elevator and took it down. Upon arrival, they loaded up the trucks and hurried into the seats. Kallist took the wheel and looked to Tajic, who looked frustrated and pissed. That had been the hardest fifteen minutes of his life, to look one of Teysa's abusers in the eye and laugh at one of his stupid jokes, to look at his smug grin and not punch it into his face. Kallist followed Sorin and his truck out. That was when things started looking bad. They switched lines and Jace and Lavinia reported in. After going off the trail, Edgar's mercenaries got involved. Belinda had her own mercs getting involved to protect her investment.

Jace kept heat off Lavinia, who hacked the traffic system and changed lights to keep Edgar's men off Sorin, Kallist, and Tajic. Anyone who got close had to deal with Nahiri dropping smoke bombs from the air and causing massive collisions. Other times, Belinda's mercenaries sped in front of Edgar's. Hers had two skilled sharp-shooters that would blow out the tires. Sorin, Tajic, Kallist, and Bob arrived at the underpass where Chandra waited for them with the other hostages. As soon as they were parked, they began unloading the gold and loading up the getaway cars. Sorin released Bob and the hostages and handed them each two gold bars before sending them on their way. Then he helped.

"That was good, letting them go," Tajic pointed out.

"I don't need lessons of morality," Sorin muttered. "I'm not interested in killing people."

Tajic nodded. Finally, the modified cars were loaded and ready to go. They were about to get in when they heard cars pulling into the underpass. Edgar's mercenaries had arrived and were coming in for the kill. Olivia Volderan was leading them, armored and ready to kill. She barked orders: "Capture Sorin. Kill the rest!" Sorin cursed and everyone grabbed the available guns and grenades. There was a massive firefight. Belinda's mercenaries came in from behind and started attacking. Olivia retreated quickly after. Nahiri soon arrived and dropped several smoke bombs on the enemy. Sorin shouted for his group to flee and regroup. They each picked a car and drove away from the underpass while Nahiri continued bombing the area with smoke bombs.

"Lithomancer, they've all escaped," Jace reported over the communication system.

"Rodger that, Mindseeker," Nahiri responded, flying out. They were doing this! They were actually _doing this_! It was successful!

* * *

The heat soon died off and everyone regrouped at Belinda's warehouse north of the city. There, they celebrated a successful heist. They broke out the best alcohol and Sorin was pleased with the good quality vodka. After removing the wig, contacts, and washed off the makeup, he went and sat in a chair and Nahiri settled his lap. "I'm thinking about making Belinda my business partner," she told him. "We combine our businesses and make high quality works of art!" It drew a chuckle out of her husband as they sipped their vodka before making out. "Maybe I can convince you to move to Silmont's Crossing with me and become like a financial advisor. Or maybe you could write crime dramas like you used to say you would." She smiled to him.

Sorin thought about it. "Yeah, I think I'd like that," he responded. "Why didn't I ever pursue writing?" He smiled and kissed Nahiri again. "But let's wait for Thalia to finish school…"

Nahiri nodded. "That's important," she agreed. "Two years?"

"Two years," Sorin replied.

"I guess I'll be commuting back and forth a lot," Nahiri sighed. She looked to Sorin. "Do you-. Do you want a DNA test?"

"Why?" Sorin asked. "It's pointless at this point. Ugin is gone and I've raised Thalia for 16 years. I'm going the rest of the way."

Nahiri nodded. "All the way…"


	13. Chapter 12: Deathwish

Jace would be busy working with Tajic and Lavinia for the next few days exposing and networking the Karlov family's corruption, so Chandra decided to take Vesper and Luna for a walk in the park. The husky walked alongside the stroller, keeping an eye out for danger. Vesper played with a few toys inside the roomy stroller. Chandra was smiling, happy to see her little boy enjoy the fresh air. She met up with her mom, who hugged Chandra and coddled her grandson. Vesper giggled at the attention and wanted more. Chandra sat on a bench with Luna at her side, watching people enjoying the park. After an hour with her son and her mother still in sight, Luna stood and looked to the right. She growled, the fur along her spine standing up.

"Luna?" Chandra followed the dog's line of sight to Ula. She stood and tugged Luna's leash gently.

"You, we gotta talk," Ula told her.

"Look, I'm done doing jobs for you fuckers," Chandra pointed out. "You haven't paid me a fucking penny for some of the shit I've done for you."

"Then how about a hundred grand for Sorin Markov's head?" Ula asked.

"Excuse me?" Chandra demanded.

"You heard me," Ula responded. He tossed her a case. "That's half. I want you to put a bullet in you buddy's head, and then you get the rest of the money.

"The fuck for?" Chandra snapped, seriously considering beating the shit out of Ula with the briefcase.

"The bastard is going to go back to his old life," Ula replied. "His grandfather is about to drop dead, and Sorin is the sole benefactor, whether he wants to run the mob of not. Sorin's not gonna just let them die off. He will never be a functioning member of society. You kill Sorin, and the Markov family dies off. Avacyn and Thalia will be unable to do anything since neither of them are in the will."

"So Sorin is the only heir to Edgar Markov's wealth and you want me to kill him before Edgar can have a chance to change his will to screw Avacyn and Thalia out of any possible inheritance?" Chandra asked.

"You're smarter than you look," Ula answered.

Chandra threw the briefcase at him. "Fuck you," she replied, flipping him off. "Fuck you and the whore that spawned you."

Ula glared. "Then I'll just arrest you and your fiancé and have your brat put into foster care with no chance of your mother getting him back," he responded.

Chandra froze.

"I have more than enough incriminating evidence on you and all your little friends," Ula continued. "I'll make you and everyone you know miserable." He tossed back the briefcase. "Just remember: A hundred grand is in it for you. Freedom and money. Is that such a bad offer." He walked away, letting it all sink in for Chandra. Luna was still growling angrily, as if she understood every word. Pia came over, holding Vesper. She had seen the dispute.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"That son of a… _MULE_ wants me to kill Sorin," Chandra answered, censoring herself for the sake of her mother and son. She slipped the briefcase into the basket under the stroller. "Oh, my _god_! And if I don't do it, then he'll put Jace and me in jail and make sure you never see Vesper again. Which means he has something on you too! And he threatened everyone I know! What do I do? I could take the money and kill Sorin, but he got me places! How can I turn on him?!"

"You don't," responded a voice. Luna turned to the source, snarling. "Down, beast," Edgar Markov snapped. He looked much weaker. "I can have Ula dealt with. No way in Hell am I going to let my only heir die, especially without a male heir." He leaned heavily on a cane. "And I will make sure the feds don't come after you. But you have to do something for me. And I will match Ula's payment, and you'll be richer for it."

"This sounds like a deal with the devil," Chandra pointed out. "What's your catch?" She had to consider it. Sorin was her friend at this point, as well as Avacyn and Thalia.

"Sorin will never let me or Olivia close enough," Edgar explained, "so haven't a chance in Hell to kill Nahiri."

"Whoa, fuck no!" Chandra snapped.

"Child," Pia barked at Chandra, voice tight and warning. She was trying to cover Vesper's ears, though he just looked confused.

"Sorry Mom," Chandra muttered. Then she looked at Edgar. "That is the world's biggest _no_ ever."

Edgar chuckled. "You don't exactly have many options," he stated. "Because unlike Ula where there's a chance at freedom, I can have you killed."

Chandra and Pia then saw gunmen in the bushes. Pia held Vesper, turning away to shield the toddler. Chandra tensed. "So, you just want Nahiri dead and you'll take care of Ula?" she asked. "How long do I have to think about it?"

"I'll give you three days," Edgar answered. He gestured for the gunmen to disperse, and then passed Chandra briefcase of money. "Give me your answer then." He limped off.

"Bastards," Chandra hissed, looking at the ground. She was shaking. What did she do? Neither was a good choice, and resulted in death, even if she became stuck in prison. She was sure knew how the mafia worked. If she killed Sorin, Thalia and Avacyn would at least have their mother to fall back on, but Nahiri was vengeful, and Chandra was certain that Avacyn at the very least was as well. Even without her father and grandfather, Avacyn was a Markov by blood and she would enforce her will over Edgar's mob to come after Chandra and everything she loved while Nahiri came for blood in whole. Thalia was too good-hearted, but after everything that's happened, this might break her. And that was assuming Edgar didn't come after her first! Nahiri on the other hand…Sorin would surely come after her. He would kill her, and it would be easier if Chandra was arrested. Mobs were family. They would have people on the inside. They would kill her. There had to be another way…

"Mom, take Vesper," Chandra ordered. "I need to talk to Jace. Alone."

Pia nodded and did so. Chandra grabbed Luna's leash and they went home. Her mother was staying with a family friend until she could secure her independence again and get her own apartment near where Jace and Chandra lived. Chandra ran home and practically ran into the house. Jace and Lavinia were in his office upstairs. Once inside, the pair looked at her.

"Chandra, is everything okay? Where's Vesper?" Jace asked, now worried. His panic was rising. Tezzeret had been leaving threatening messages on his voicemail. He hadn't told his fiancé yet.

"He's with my mom," Chandra answered, pulling up a chair, "but we have problems. Real fucking problems."

"What is it?" Jace asked.

"Ula and Edgar approached me at the park," Chandra answered. "Ula wants me to kill Sorin and Edgar wants me to kill Nahiri. But like: 'Fuck that!' If I kill Sorin, Nahiri and possibly Avacyn will come after me if Edgar doesn't kill me first, but none of us will go to jail and we'll have a hundred grand. Really kind of weak, now that I think about." She groaned. "If I kill Nahiri, Sorin will come after, and by then we'll all be in jail for some reason or another and we'll never see Vesper again. Our parents won't be able to go to court to get him back."

Jace sighed, and put his face in his hands. "Shit," he whispered. After a moment, he sat up and looked at Chandra. "Then, we force our friends and family underground and kill Sorin and Nahiri, and hope to not receive retaliation from Avacyn and Thalia after Edgar has died. The only retaliation I see from them is my dad maybe losing his job. But, I don't think there's much Avacyn and Thalia will be able to do. So, just kill off Sorin and Nahiri and hope the girls will understand."

"That's it?" Chandra demanded. "Jace, these are your friends!"

"I know they are," Jace sighed. "But I don't see any other way out of this except…"

"Except what?" Chandra asked.

"Except an Operation Deathwish," Jace answered.

"What's that?" Lavinia asked.

"An Operation Deathwish is when you cut off ties to dangerous people and tie up the ends to prevent retaliation," Jace answered. He looked at his phone, which was vibrated. Tezzeret again. "In other words, you kill people." He grabbed his phone answered. "GO THE FUCK AWAY, DAMN IT!" he shouted into the phone.

"Jacqueline Beleren! Is that anyway to speak to me?" Tezzeret sneered.

"Fuck. YOU!" Jace hung up and slammed down his phone. "Fucking Christ…" he grumbled.

"Was that Tezzeret?" Chandra asked.

"Yes," Jace answered. "Bastard has been harassing me and blowing up my phone."

"Why didn't you say anything about it?"

"Wasn't important at the time."

"Jace, that psychopath kidnapped you when you were a baby, made feel disgusted with yourself for wanting to be a man, raped you, tortured you, forced you into a life of crime, and has continually stalked and harassed you since getting out of prison," Chandra pointed out. "I think that he's a very real problem that needs to be dealt with. It's time to get rid of the fucking jackass!"

Jace fidgeted. "Okay, we kill Ula, Edgar Markov, Olivia Volderan, and Tezzeret. Who else is there…?"

"Bolas? He hasn't done anything yet, but he could," Chandra pointed out.

"I can't believe you used to run errands for him," Jace muttered. "Tezzeret used to work for him. We have to get rid of him too."

"Emeria?" Chandra asked.

"No, we'll need her to cover our tracks," Jace answered. He called Sorin, Nahiri, and Kallist with his computer. They all picked up. "Hey, I need you three at my house, ASAP. Shit has just hit the fan."

"I'm on my way," they said in union.

Sorin and Nahiri got in their car and drove to Jace and Chandra's, Kallist arriving just before them. Once there, they saw Chandra pacing anxiously and Jace fidgeting. It didn't seem that unusual at first, until they saw the grim looks on their faces. Jace then explained the situation to them, how they were going to kill Ula, Edgar, Olivia, Tezzeret, and Bolas. Sorin and Nahiri merely nodded in agreement. They both knew it was time to give the bastards their comeuppances, to deal with them once and for all.

"I found out that Teysa is in Ravnica Central Park with her brother, planning the venue for their wedding," Sorin pointed. "So let's add Alexander and get Tey back."

"Let's," Jace agreed. He went to his computer and tracked down the targets. "Ula is at the Rakdos Carnival Pier, and it looks like he's shooting for his stupid crime show. Nicol Bolas is at his car dealership. Seriously, why a dealership? Easier to scam people maybe? Edgar and Olivia are at the Ten District Hotel and Tezzeret is at a cheaper place in the Rudderbelt District." He turned to the others. "Now, I suggest we go after the people we have little to no connections with and-or have had limited interactions with. This will help with alleviating suspicion. So Kallist, you're on Ula. Take your best sniper rifle." Kallist nodded and took off. "Chandra, take care of Edgar and Olivia. They're almost always together." Chandra got up to leave. "Sorin, I want you on Bolas. Don't give him a chance to respond." Sorin left. "Nahiri, you're to kill Alexander Karlov and rescue you Teysa. Expect a real fight. They'll have guards close by."

"Got it," Nahiri replied, and then she too departed. None of them had realized what Jace was up to. He sighed and pulled out a knife. A simple, easy-to-conceal knife. Then he left.

* * *

Ula was on the ferris wheel, recording a shoot for his show. Kallist had managed to get onto the roof of one of the game booths. He trained his sites on the car. The whole ferris wheel had been blocked off to the public just for him. _What a bastard,_ Kallist thought, looking through the scope. He had to plan this quickly, wait for the right shot and-.

 _ **BAM!**_

The silencer made the gun go off quietly, and the bullet went into the car and blew out Ula's brains. The camera man started shouting and freaking out. Kallist waited for confirmation that Ula was dead before bailing out and fleeing the scene. His job was done, and it had been so painfully easy. He jacked someone's motorcycle and got the Hell out. He reported to Jace, who was driving his car, that the job was done.

Meanwhile, Chandra was waiting to ambush Edgar and Olivia. The pair came out of their hotel and got in the limo. _Not yet,_ she told herself. She had learned a lot about patience, and how to ambush people. This was a fancy hotel, but there was only one way out of the parking lot, one that was trapped with an explosive that would destroy the whole car and kill everyone else inside it. She watched and waited, and once the car was stopped over the bomb, she pushed a button and the bomb exploded. With that done, she drove off, reporting to Jace that she did her job.

Sorin's only interaction with Bolas was beating the shit out of him. Now he, wearing a mask and gloves, was coming back to finish the job. He just walked right in and, when Bolas started shouting, punched the fucker in the throat. Bolas started having respiratory issues. Wasn't Sorin's problem. He swung an aluminum baseball bat his head, knocking him to the ground. The next blow drew blood. The third killed. The fourth was to be sure. That was easy. He reported that the job was done and left, taking one of the cars from the lot to keep the police off his tail.

The park had become a warzone where Nahiri was seriously outmatched by Alexander and his guards. Teysa was ducked down behind a fallen tree. She looked over and saw one of her brother's men dead near her. She crawled for the gun and dragged it behind the tree. She called Nahiri, who answered with a hasty, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to help because fuck these guys."

Teysa jumped up and attacked Alexander and his men from behind. Nahiri jumped up and attacked from the front. Alexander and his guards fell easily. After that, Nahiri got Teysa on her back and carried her to her truck. Once safely inside, they drove away and tried to call Jace, who didn't answer. Frowning, they group-called Sorin, Chandra, and Kallist. They picked up.

"Guys, Jace isn't answering his phone," Nahiri told them.

"You sure? He answered for me," Chandra pointed out.

"He answered when I called," Sorin added.

"Same three," Kallist replied.

"Wait, did he assign anyone to kill Tezzeret?" Nahiri asked.

"Shit!" Sorin and Kallist hissed.

"You don't think Jace would go after him by himself, do you?" Chandra asked, panic running up her spine. "Fuck! He did! I'll call you guys back. All I remember Jace saying is that Tezzeret is at some shitty motel in Rudderbelt." She hung up and called her friend Ral, who answered.

"Hell-loooo?" he greeted, and Chandra could swear she heard a stifled moan.

"Ral, can you get the tracker app up and tell me where Jace is?" Chandra asked, rolling her eyes.

"Can do, Chandra," Ral replied. His boyfriend pulled away from him to let him work. Ral brought up the tracker on his computer and punched in Jace's info. The tracker made a hit at the Rough Crowd. "He's at the Rough Crowd."

"Okay, thanks."

"No prob."

Chandra called the others back. "Guys, meet me at the Rough Crowd. It's not where Jace said Tezzeret was. Not even close. And I want to know what he's up to."

"Okay, just let me drop Teysa off real quick," Nahiri pointed out.

They met up at the club. It was a strip joint. They went inside. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Girls dancing on the pole, men enjoying the show, the base making the music insufferable. A girl started walking by and Chandra tapped her shoulder. The woman turned to her.

"Excuse me, have you seen a young man, pretty face, blue eyes, Ravnica University hoodie?" Chandra asked.

"Back there, sweetheart," the woman answered, pointing to the employees' only area. Chandra led the others into the back and they moved to the office. Sorin carefully twisted the knob, not wanting to get attention. The door was annoyingly locked. He pressed his ear to the surface and listened. Silence. Sorin gestured Kallist over, who started picking the lock. Once the door opened, they walked in. Jace was sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest and face hidden behind them. He was covered in blood. Thankfully, it didn't appear to be his. Kallist went over to him and gave him a gentle shake. Sorin moved around behind the desk and found Tezzeret dead from several stab wounds.

"Nahiri, get your truck and bring it around," Sorin ordered, seeing the other door in the room led into the alley. "And bring garbage bags and stuff to start a fire."

Nahiri did so. They set the office on fire after getting Tezzeret's corpse bagged and into the back of Nahiri's trunk, and locking the office door. The strip club was near a fire station and there were plenty of fire extinguishers throughout the builder as well as fire alarms and sprayers, except in the office where it mattered. They disposed of Tezzeret's body and took Jace home. He didn't say a single word the whole time…


	14. Chapter 13: Happiness is a Step Away

Sorry this chapter sucks. I really didn't know how else to write it.

* * *

Jace mentally and emotionally shut down for about a week after he stabbed Tezzeret few times. Okay, a lot of times. He took care of the necessities. Using the bathroom and bathing, a little food and water, and sleep. Little else. As often as possible, Chandra or Kallist snuggled him, trying to comfort him. His mother eventually came over and did the same, singing sweet lullabies that she had sang to him when he was a baby. Unsurprisingly, Jace remembered the lullabies. Pia came back, bringing Vesper. The toddler snuggled up to his father, trying to comfort is broken-hearted father. Finally, a call came from Emmara.

"Hello?" Ranna greeted.

"I'm Dr. Tandris and I'm looking for Jace Beleren," Emmara responded.

"This is his mother; he's not feeling well right now," Ranna explained.

"Well, I hope the news I have for him helps," Emmara said. "Jace has finally been approved for genital correction surgery and he can schedule an appointment whenever he is ready."

"That's wonderful!" Ranna exclaimed. She looked to her son. "Sweetie, Dr. Tandris said you've been approved for your surgery!" That got a response. Jace looked back at her, and excitement started filling his eyes.

"Really?" he asked, voice hoarse from disuse.

Ranna smiled. "That's right."

Jace got up and took the phone. "Is it really happening?" he asked Emmara.

"Was your mom not convincing enough?" Emmara responded.

"It's just, I've been denied so long I need to hear it."

"Understandable. But now it'll happen whenever you're ready."

After they hung up, Jace excitedly told Chandra. She smiled, and then thought about her own surgery. For so long, she had been living with her unwanted parts because she was scared with the fear of another screw up under the knife. But now Jace was going in, unafraid and without regret. She smiled to him. "I'm going in with you then." They embraced and kissed.

In the three months to follow, Emeria contacted Sorin, Nahiri, Chandra, and Jace. She was now in charge and decided that the Markov's and the Beleren's were not worth bothering and she would leave them alone. This was a good thing. Sorin and Nahiri disappeared for a week to renew their vows and enjoy a honeymoon. Upon returning, Nahiri resumed running her business while Sorin began work on his first book: A crime drama.

Meanwhile, Avacyn and Gideon got together, despite the slight age difference. She realized she wanted to work with children, and loved small children the best. She announced she wanted to become a preschool teacher. Sorin and Nahiri were both excited and supportive, promising to pay for her tuition. Thalia wanted to go into fashion design. She was always the fashionable one, and she really wanted to bring back Colonial, Victorian, and Gothic fashion in a modernized way. Again, her parents were excited and supportive. She finally introduced Odric as her boyfriend. Nahiri had to calm her husband down.

Jace and Chandra went and got their wedding attire ready. Pia, Ranna, Luti, and Mrs. Pashiri were busy making Chandra's wedding sari. Looking at herself, she smiled. She had tears in her eyes. Her mother, grandmother, and her family's longtime friend were working with her future mother-in-law on her sari. Pia started crying.

"What's wrong?" Ranna asked.

"I never thought this day would come!" Pia answered.

Everyone moved to hug her. "I know. Me too," Ranna pointed out.

The day of the wedding arrived, and Jace was so nervous. Kallist, the best man, entered the room wearing a black suit. He looked dashing. Jace's suit was a shining, deep azure frock coat and matching pants and tie, a black vest with silver embroidery and buttons, and black shoes. His hair had been combed, but he kind of hated how it looked when it was tidy. Kallist agreed and messed it up a little.

"You looked stupid," he defended.

"Yeah, I know, thanks," Jace laughed. He went to the back door where his parents waited to walk him down the aisle. Just because he was a man did not mean they would not give him away. They linked arms and the music began. They made their way into the back yard, down the aisle to the archway where family friend, a non-binary pagan priest stood in a colorful attire. Yehanni smiled to them. Gav shook Jace's hand and Ranna hugged him and kissed his cheek before taking their seats.

Next came four groomsmen with four bridesmaids, and ending with the best man and Chandra's maid of honor Nissa. The latter was rolling her eyes at every stupid crack Kallist made. Next came Avacyn and Thalia, dressed in bright colors with wreaths of flowers on their heads. Avacyn was carrying Vesper, who was the ring bearer and Thalia was the flower girl, tossing up rose petals in every color possible. Finally, the bride was coming out. Chandra wore her short hair French-braided. Her father's goggles crown her head with an embroidered, orange, silk veil streaming behind her. Her sari was the colors of a phoenix, bright with orange and deep ruby with gold embroidery. She was being given away by her mother and her little brother, who was holding a portrait of his and Chandra's father Kiran. They gave her away to Jace and took their seats. Yehanni began the ceremony and Jace and Chandra exchanged their vows.

After the ceremony, everyone sort of scattered and there throughout the house. Looking around, Chandra smiled. This was a family…


	15. Epilogue

Three years passed…

Jace and Chandra was at the park, watching their little boy play with his friends. Vesper, now an excitable 7-year-old, his red hair sticking up. He came running over. "Mom, Dad, the nice ice cream lady is here today!" he exclaimed. "Can I have some coins to buy some ice cream?"

"Sure," Jace answered.

"I'll go get our wallets from the car," Chandra said. She got up and went to the purple minivan, seeing a young woman trying to jack it. She smirked, remembering when she was jacking cars for Bolas. She went up and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You have potential, but you seem to be lacking skill. How about you let a pro teach you a thing or two?"

The girl wanted to instinctively run, but instead stayed.

Chandra didn't pull out her keys, but a special jack to unlock the door. "You should invest in one of these first of all," she pointed out. "Much easier than one of those old lockpicks." She grabbed her purse, which had hers and Jace's wallets in it. "Next, don't ever try to rob a criminal."

The girl's eyes widened.

"Now, how about I buy you and my kid some ice cream and we can talk about your future?" Chandra suggested.

The girl gave an impish smile. "I'm in."

And the cycle began again…


End file.
